Mary Smith and The Three-Headed Dog
by Restlessloner
Summary: Nothing here but the simple story of how a little plain-faced learning disabled orphan girl realized what it means to be a witch, a friend, a hero, and above all else, English.
1. Chapter 1: Purple Frosting

(Lidia: I haven't written anything in a while and wanted to have fun with something. Hope you like it.)

 _Disclaimer: I do not own or profit off of Harry Potter or any of J.K. Rowling's copywritten intellectual property.)_

 **Mary Smith**

 **First Year: Mary Smith and the Three Headed Dog**

 _"Cerberus. The beast said to guard the gates to hell. What's a gate to hell doing in a school?"_

 _~Mary Smith_

Chapter 1: Purple Frosting

All my life I knew I was destined for something different. Different from everything I've ever known, everything I was raised to believe- just everything. I never knew exactly what, but I could feel it in my heart. My very soul burned with the need for freedom. For anything but this. I was screaming inside but nothing could be heard...

...or maybe it was just a childhood fantasy.

"Stop your fidgeting, Mary," my mother chided with a pinch to my arm. My hand jerked up to rub the offended area underneath the poofing sleeve of my church dress. "And stop your frowning."

I sat on my hands as I normally did when she complained. "Yes, ma'am," I sang in my southern drawl I'd acquired during my years here in Mississippi. I never knew anywhere else. I was adopted as an infant. I didn't know anything about who my real parents were. I'd like to have imagined they were great people. My father would have been a mission doctor helping those infected with AIDS in Mozambique or a CIA intelligence officer busting human trafficking rings all over India. My mother would have been a famous artist, traveling the world and learning to speak over 50 different languages. She would meet my father in Italy during his respite and they would fall madly in love over a black olive and mushroom pizza pie- that was my favorite pizza.

"Pay attention," my mother hissed with another pinch. Just like her pinches, she had shattered the illusion of my parents being anything other than horrid sinners. She told me of how she rescued me from a strung out teenage prostitute whom had seen fit to leave me in the trash. There was no telling who my father was.

Father Evans continued to drone on about the righteousness of the lord and rewards to those whom remained devout in these times of sin and shamelessness. "And now, let us all rise in one last hymn before you leave here tonight. Blessed Be…" The choir started in and for once I was glad we were not in the front pew as was custom. I was coming down with a cold and had, thus, managed to lag behind enough so that the other ' _devout followers_ ' of our church could grab the first seven rows. Mother would not let me hear the end of this.

Father Evans had placed some sort of spell upon the women of our small town. With his good looks, charm, wit, and full head of hair- unlike my father's rug, he had the whole female population yearning for him. Even some far too young for such yearnings to be considered descent. He was recently widowed and raising a daughter left behind from his marriage. Jubilee was the bane of my existence with her insults about my being adopted or her overall smugness. She was cute as a button and evil as Satan. But she was Father Evans' daughter so everyone loved her. My mother was one of his most rabid fans. Despite being married to my father, she was completely and entirely in love with our town priest. Therefore, she was completely and entirely in love with God. The weirdness of it all was a sin in and of itself. Yet my father remained oblivious, whether willingly or not, I don't think I will ever know.

As everyone joined in the singing, even me, I let my eyes wander to the far-off window. It was a stained-glass design of the virgin Mary, her hands clasped in prayer. My mother named me after her. She told me she hoped it would remind me of the value of my virginity so that I may not follow in the lascivious Jezebel ways of the teenager that gave birth to me.

A shadow like a large bird fluttered down on to the branch of a tree outside. It's silhouette shone through the window like an ominous promise of death, blocking the sun-made halo of Mary. I couldn't avert my gaze, not until mother placed her hand on my head and turned my face forward. She always told me to ignore the owls, but it was difficult to do so. There was a quality about these birds unlike the sparrow that sung outside my window. There was an intelligence in their eyes. An intelligence not unlike that of Jubilee's cat. It both excited me and creeped me out. Though I dare not voice my opinions to anyone. One false step from me and it would have the town in another uproar. I'd already been through one exorcism. I was reluctant to endure another.

The Owls infesting the area had begun a couple of weeks ago. It started with one I spied at the elementary. It was sitting on the roof of the annex across from my classroom window. I looked away to finish my arithmetic, and when I glanced again it was much closer. Sitting in the tree a few feet away and staring right at me. It's feathers glowed gold and brown with large hazel eyes. My teacher came over, first to scold me at being distracted, then to look to the bird. _"Odd bird to see around here,"_ she said at the time. _"And at this time of day. They usually tend to be night creatures. But enough of that. Get back to work, Mary. If you spent half the effort in your schooling that you do daydreaming, you would be in honors instead of in the remedial class."_ I simply nodded and tried to finish the work given even though I hadn't understood one bit of it. My mind had been focused on the wonder it must be to be a pirate instead of paying attention to whatever the heck bar notation was.

The owls only steadily grew in numbers after that. They were everywhere and they frightened my parents for reasons lost to me. Maybe they got the same feeling about the birds too. That they were more then what they appeared to be. Or maybe my mother thought it was plague before the coming of Lucifer. I wasn't to know.

My father and I waited in the car for my mother in the church parking lot. She wanted to congratulate Father Evans on another wonderful service. It seemed she needed to compensate for not having the first pew tonight. There was a row of owls sitting on the powerlines across from the car. If they hadn't been but animals I would have sworn they were staring at us. "Papa?" He was staring intently at them, his hand fisting the steering wheel until they turned an angry red then flushed white.

"Buckle your seat belt, Mary," he shot back to me. I scurried in the seat behind the passenger side to buckle my seat belt. It was always more difficult for mother to reach back and hit me from here. My father mumbled something about _'hoping they get a good shock'_ before starting the old buggee. My mother was giving air kisses to our neighbor Mrs. Robinson whose daughter she had called a salacious whore not but a few hours ago.

She got in the car, wiping the edges of smeared lipstick with her handkerchief. "Well," she snapped. "What are you waiting for? Let's get home. The roast should be done by now." Then a bit of owl droppings landed on the hood. "Damn owls."

The drive home was a silent one except for a hoot every now and then. My eyes were tearing up from my cold. I rubbed at them but stopped when mother suggested they would get infected. So instead I tried to ignore it and stared out at the surrounding woods. They were dark except for the occasional set of yellow owl eyes staring back.

We pulled up to the house and father quickly ushered us inside. He locked the door behind us, making sure the deadbolt held secure. But the town was generally a safe one. I was the most dangerous one here if you considered the number of times I'd been possessed by Satan. My mother says it is why God sent me to them. He wanted nothing but the most devout and determined Christians watching over the avatar of the devil.

After we all washed up and changed, we sat for dinner. It was an impressive looking spread that disappointed in taste when it came time to eat. The faint flavor of charcoal lingered in the roast and the vegetables were salty. But it was all relative when you've been eating this for eleven years.

Speaking of eleven years...

"Happy birthday, Mary," my mother smiled and sat a vanilla cupcake with purple frosting in front of me. I hated purple frosting. It always tasted like toothpaste.

"Thank you, Mama."

"Happy birthday, Mary," my father groused from his seat on the couch. He'd gone to watch sports the minute he finished eating.

"Thank you, sir."

There was single candle lit, sticking out from the cupcake. "Well what are you waiting for? You've got school in the morning now hurry and make that wish of yours. Then it's off to brush your teeth and good night."

I sighed and stared at the single flickering candlewick. The flame danced in the breeze of the air conditioner, taunting me with all the things I wanted that couldn't possibly be put into a single wish. I wanted a new home. I wanted friends. I wanted to go on an adventure. I wanted new parents. I wanted to stop making bad things happen around me. I wanted to stop having all those weird dreams but most of all... "I want to be someone else," I mumbled to myself.

"Pardon?" my mother squinted, daring me to rebuke the new life she had granted me already. If it weren't for her, I'd be in the trash after all.

"Nothing Mama," I sighed before blowing on the candle. The flame leaned away but stood again when I ran out of breath, just as bright as ever. I blew again, and again until finally, mother just picked it up from its spot on the table and ran it under some sink water. I watched the sweet break off into little pieces and fall to the whirring of the disposal down the drain. I may hate purple frosting, but I could have always scraped it off.

"Can't take any chances with fire. Volatile thing it is. Made from the devil and all," she admonished. "You don't need sweets before bed anyhow. Brush your teeth then off to bed with you. I'll be there to tuck you in, in a moment."

I gave one last longing look at the cupcake before getting up from my seat. She normally asked my help clearing the table, but it seems even she didn't have the heart to ask that of me on my birthday of all days.

 _ **CREAK!**_

The noise gave me pause. The only thing that creaked that way was the rusting mail slot. And no one delivered mail at this time of night. Well...just the scarlet envelopes my father Joe received some late nights. He would grab them and leave in his pickup truck in the dead of night in some strange white robed uniform. Mother never said a word to him when he went and father never explained when I asked what he was up to. He would just say it was "God's work" and be off. I would never understand what God would need with a man at eleven on a Friday night.

But this time, it was no scarlet letter. No mail that I had ever recognized either. Being that I was closest to the door, I walked over and picked it up. The envelope was a cream color, sealed with fancy imprinted burgundy wax that oddly reminded me of blood. It was posted to some place in England. But what would they want with people like us? As far as I knew, we didn't have any family or friends in England. And it wasn't one of the places my mother and father visited during their missionary work. "Mama?" I asked, holding the envelope up and flinching when I noticed how close they had gotten. They looked panicked. "What are Hogwarts? Are they contagious?"

She snatched the letter from my hands into her own shaking ones. But her face was stern and set to frown. "Nothing that will be concerning you. Off to bed. Now."

"But what is it?" I asked, curious as to what could possibly have my father sweating the way he was. He never sweat. It was the reason we had air-conditioning. If it wasn't working, then they were wasting money on the bill.

My mother kneeled down and grasped my much smaller face in her much larger hand. Her nails dug into my skin. " I said it doesn't concern you. Now doesn't the bible say to honor thy mother and father?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Then get your ass to bed now. And I mean it. No more back talk."

I dragged my feet on my way. A swift push from my father had me scampering off a little faster. No letter was worth a whooping.

I closed my door, not all the way but left just a crack open like mother always had me do. I peeked out into the dining room where they stood. My father had his hands clenched at his sides while mother opened the letter. I almost flinched at the way her nails popped at the seal. It looked too pretty to be ripped away like that. Her eyes scanned over it for a few minutes. "Well?" father finally asked.

"It's that heathen school alright. They're wanting to take her away from us."

" _No_. How the hell did they find us anyhow? Evangeline. What if they send them damn devil worshippers down here to take her?"

"They won't."

"We should move aga-"

"No!" mother shouted, the letter crumpling in her fist. "We're not going anywhere. Let them just try and take her. She's OURS now. Let them just try."

"You're right. We're her parents. Who else are they going to find to take care of her. She doesn't have any family. They're all dead."

Dead? My brain was processing this information slower than I could react.

"They say they found a distant cousin-in-law twice removed whose more than willing to take her in. You know what that means. It's some _witch_ ," she said, letting it roll off the tongue like a curse. "They're going to be wanting to teach OUR baby voodoo and poison making. Hocus pocus. They're going to erase all the work we've done, Joe. But she's not one of them anymore. We've cured her even if the sickness tries to hold onto her. She's a good God-fearing girl."

Father grunted and said something else, but I didn't hear. _Family_. I had family out there somewhere. It didn't matter how distant, how many times removed. Someone out there belonged to me and I belonged to them. And they were in England! My mother couldn't have been some teenage Mississippi prostitute. She was English. That made me English. I didn't have their funny accent, but I had their blood running through my veins.

And they weren't Christians either. That thought gave me pause. She called them witches, devil worshippers. I didn't want to learn voodoo or anything like that. It all seemed so wrong. Disgusting even. But maybe it wasn't that bad. They could just be Jewish. My mother hated Jews something terrible, but they seemed like normal people to me. Katie Weiner from my 1st grade class was Jewish and she let me borrow her pencil once. Jesus was Jewish I think before he died and stuff.

I blinked for just a second but the strangest feeling overcame me. It was like a strange wave of something both hot and cold at the same time. It had the hair on the back of my neck standing on end. When I opened them again, there was a tapping behind me. That same owl from before. The first one I saw that day at school. It was tapping at the window. When it caught my attention, it lifted one clawed foot to point at a letter resting neatly on my pillow. I was so amazed at the fact that it was trying to communicate with me, that I barely noticed the letter. By the time I did, it was too late. I lifted it into my hands just in time for it to be swiped from me. My mother stood over me with fury wrinkling her face and rage in her eyes. "How did you get this?"

"I-it was already there! The owl," I pleaded, pointing to the window, but it was already gone. I turned back in time to receive a slap to the face. Mother always had a strong hand. I stumbled, tripping over a school book and hitting the floor. She lifted me by the hair so that I stood again.

"I'll only ask you one more time girl. Where?"

"It was already there! I swear!" I sobbed. "I swear!" The drawers in the room rattled. The lamp on the end table tipped over and smashed. "Please!" I could feel that uncontrollable burst of power surging forward out of me. It was always so painful. And I could never stop it.

"Stop that! Stop before you turn the house upside down again!" She let go of me but it didn't help anything. Splinters and cracks webbed into the walls around us. I could see father running from the house outside my window before white hot pain took over my sight. And when my vision returned...

...I was standing right back where I had started. In front of the door, peeking at my arguing parents.

"It's that heathen school alright. They're wanting to take her away from us."

" _No_. How the hell did they find us anyhow? Evangeline. What if they send them damn devil worshippers down here to take her?"

"They won't."

It was all happening again. It was like someone had pressed rewind. Soon the tapping started up and I turned to see the owl, and then the letter. I ran to it, feeling the foreboding in me that what I thought just happened could happen if I didn't act more quickly this time. I grabbed the letter and thought to hide it. Under the pillow? No. She always reaches under there when she tucks me in. Ever since I hid my first bad report card there when I was six. I dropped to my knees and slid it under the bed, hoping that would do for now.

"Mary?" My mother walked in with a frown, her gaze shifting around the room as if expecting something to jump out at her. I didn't have to turn to the window to know the owl was gone. "I thought I told you to get in bed."

I clasped my hands. "I was just doing some prayer before bed. Just because it's my birthday doesn't mean I shouldn't."

A calm settled over her gaze when she looked at me. Almost the way I saw other mothers look at their daughters. Almost. "Right. In all the excitement I forgot. Have you finished?"

"Not just yet." I turned back to my bed, hiding the miniscule smile that surfaced at getting away with something. It certainly had to be a sin to rejoice in deceiving your parents. "Sorry, God. That's my mother. You know her. She makes sure we get to Church _every_ Sunday morning and Wednesday night. Even all the extra stuff like fundraisers and the annual pancake breakfast." I heard her sigh in merriment behind me. "What was I saying before?" Think brain, THINK! "Oh! I wanted to thank you for letting me see another year of my blessed life. And I wanted to ask for forgiveness for disobeying my parents before. It was wrong and I'm sorry." What was truly wrong was that I was using the lord to trick my mother. There would have to be another prayer after this one. A _real_ one. I didn't want the lord to think I was being smart. Mother always said smart-alecky girls get sent to hell.

I stood up and climbed into bed. My mother came over and tucked me in, pressing the covers tight to my body as if to keep me there forever. I never liked that...

It's probably because I'm English.

She fluffed my pillow, reaching underneath as she always did before she kissed my forehead. "Good night my virgin Mary." I hated when she called me that...

That's probably because I'm English too.

When she left the room, I loosened up the covers and leaned over to reach under the bed. She only called me Mary because, like the virgin, she said I had a humble look about me. In other words, I was plain. Not like Jubilee with her golden blonde curls, tan skin with forever blushing cheeks and ocean blue eyes that just seemed to POP. My hair looked like dirt, my eyes looked like dirt and I had puffy bags under them that somehow made my face look awkward. Sickly even. My skin was always so pale, except during those hot summer days when I turned red as a clam. I never tanned. My skin sunburned far too easily. It was a hard thing to avoid in Mississippi no matter how much sunscreen Mama smothered me with.

I grasped the letter in my hands and titled it toward the moonlight drifting in through my window. I flipped letter over and carefully peeled the seal away, cursing my clumsy fingers when a bit of it separated and stuck to the envelope. When I opened it up, there were two letters inside. I grabbed the biggest one first.

 _"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

 _Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

 _(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

 _Dear Mary Ellen Smith,..."_

I paused there. My last name was Greggory. That didn't make sense. So maybe this whole thing was a mix up? But that was impossible the way my parents reacted. I decided to read the whole thing through before questioning things. Like what kind of school out there taught such a sin as witchcraft?

 _"Dear Mary Ellen Smith,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcrafts and Wizardry._

 _Students shall be required to report to the Chamber of Reception upon arrival, the date for which shall be duly advised._

 _Please ensure that the utmost attention be made to the list of requirements attached herewith._

 _We very much look forward to recieving you as a part of the new generation of Hogwarts' heritage._

 _Draco Dormiens Nanquam Titillandos,_

 _Professor McGonagall"_

I really should start paying attention in class because I have no idea what that last sentence meant. In English, all they taught us to end letters with was either "love" or "sincerely". And what was a chamber of reception? Does it make sense to have a room just for receiving people?

 _"First year students will require:_

 _1\. Three sets of plain work robes_

 _2\. One plain pointed hat for day wear_

 _3\. One pair of dragon-hide gloves_

 _And the following set of books:_

 _1\. 'The Standard Book of Spells- 1998 edition' by Miranda Goshawk_

 _2\. 'A Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi' by Phyllida Spore_

 _3\. 'A History of Magic' by Bathilda Bagshot_

 _4\. 'Magical Theory- 1998 edition' by Adalbert Waffling_

 _5\. 'A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration- 1998 edition' by Emeric Switch_

 _6\. 'Magical Drafts and Potions- 1998 edition' by Arsenius Jigger"_

Well that settled it. They certainly had the wrong person. I hadn't heard of any of those things. I guess I could beg the guy who owned the costume shop to give me his pointed witches hat but- no. Witches went to hell. All of this was wrong. Still, I found myself reaching for the second letter. It was smaller and written in the best handwriting I had ever seen. If I wrote cursive like this, my teacher probably wouldn't have been so hard on me when it came time to practice.

 _"Dear Mary,_

 _I hope you have received this letter as it was meant especially for you. I held some doubt that your parents would discuss the many I have sent to them. If they have, then excellent. However, if they have not, it is unfortunate. I am the headmaster of Hogwarts, the school to which you have been delightfully accepted, Albus Dumbledore..."_

I held back a giggle. These people had really funny names. McGonagall, Jigger, _Dumb_ ledore.

 _"You see Mary, it was eleven years ago this day that I held you in my arms. You were born in the halls of this very school. I knew both your biological mother and father. I do not know what you have been told about them, but I will tell you that they were witches and two of the finest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. You are their daughter, Mary Ellen McGowen- Smith and Yagar Smith. You, like them, are a witch._

 _I know you are going through things that you may not understand, maybe even seeing things. I want you to know that we only wish to help you. After a visit, if you still wish to return home, then we will not force you to stay._

 _However, should you choose to join Hogwarts and the rest of the wizarding world, we will help to guide you to your fullest potential. Our special staff of instructors are set to help you find your place in the world. You would be staying with your cousin-in-law twice removed, Arial Finnigan, and her family. Hogwarts is not just a school. It is a family. You are a special girl, Mary._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Albus Dumbledore_

 _P.S. Someone will be there to retrieve you in two days time. See you soon."_

Slowly I folded the letter and placed it back in its envelope. Then I stuck the envelope in my school bag beside my bed. I laid there a long while, staring at the ceiling and thinking. There were so many questions. How did my parents die? How did I end up with these horrible people? How has God not hit any of you sinners with lightening yet? My mother always said that you don't meet witches because God strikes their sinning hearts with lightening and sends them straight to hell. But maybe I should stop listening to what Mama has to say. She _did_ tell me my mother was a teenage prostitute after all...


	2. Chapter 2: Variables

" _A Hellgate will open only when a truly malevolent soul bound for death has ties to this world so strong, those tethers_ rip _it back from the Netherworld with such a force that it tears through the veil of this world and the next. Of course, that's just an old wives tale from the Fables of Merlin."_

 _\- Hermione Granger_

Chapter 2: Variables

"What's the matter, Mary?" Mama asked at the breakfast table. Papa had gone in early to the garage. He worked as the town mechanic.

I hadn't noticed until she said something, but I was frowning at my smiley breakfast. Two eggs sunny side up with a bacon smiley face. "Huh?"

She sat in her chair looking like the perfect house wife. I can't ever remember seeing her without make-up and there was never a hair out of place. "You haven't even touched your food," she smiled but her tone put me on edge. It sounded like she was fishing for something. "Something wrong?"

I shook my head before the words even reached my lips. "No. There's nothing. Just had a bad dream." And it was true, though it was nothing new.

I know I didn't always have these dreams but I can't remember exactly when they started. But they scared me. I could close my eyes and picture it now if I wanted. I didn't know where I was, just that there were chunks of dirt and rock flying everywhere. It was so wide open with so much grass but the sky was dark and almost seemed to move. Things fell from it and hurt people. And there were so many different colored lights. Then I felt warm, in the pit of my stomach somewhere. Someone was standing there with their back to me. I wanted to reach that person. There was so much noise, but I could only see him. Contrary to the warmth in my chest, something chilling hung in the sky. A green skull with a tongue like a snake sticking out. That thing was in a lot of my dreams…

"Well, put Satan behind you dear. You have school. Better hurry or you'll miss the bus."

"Yes, ma'am." I ate as much as I could before I absolutely had to leave, grabbing my 'What Would Jesus Do?' lunch box and stumbling out the door. I'm not the most graceful person in the world. Not like Jubilee.

"Meow."

I looked down and spotted a cat. But not just any cat. _Jubilee_ 's cat. What was Cinnabon doing here? The cat scared me, the way it looked at me with those intelligent eyes. Satan crept into my soul for a second. What would Jubilee say if she knew her cat was here. She's probably so worried over her precious Cinnabon. The cat hissed at me, scratching at my ankles. I did what any normal kid would do to their worst enemy's cat. I reared back my foot and gave it a good hard kick. It flew up and off my porch with the force of my foot. "Rearw!" It squealed. I didn't care. Now there were angry red scratch marks on my leg.

"Serves you right," I huffed. Apparently, cats didn't always land on their feet. I walked to the bus stop, past a troupe of owls lounging on our neighbor's yard fence. They all watched as I passed, probably having seen me kick the cat. But they didn't scatter or attack as any other bird would when a human came too close. They just watched. They creeped me out too. Fortunately for them, I was more afraid of them than I was of the cat.

I ran to get on the bus just as it was about to leave and saw Jubilee and her friends sitting in the back of the bus laughing. I remember when it was the cool thing to sit in the front of the bus. But Page Daniels said that her older sister said that sitting in the front of the bus was for losers. I'd tried to sit back there with them once. They just stared at me like I was crazy. Then Kathy Whitaker smacked her backpack down in the empty seat. _"This seat's taken, special-ed," she sneered._

 _The other girls giggled. "That's right," Jubilee said in that 'I'm so innocent' voice of hers. "I forgot you were in the_ slow _classes. Shouldn't you be riding the short bus?" This time they all outright laughed. I don't know why they all thought it was funny. She was the one that said something stupid. Our school didn't have a short bus._

I sat down in the very first seat of the very first row, closest to the door. No one ever sat next to me. Except that one time Eric McCarthy was dared by Jubilee's friends to try and kiss me. He chickened out. Said he saw the devil in my eyes when he looked at me.

Once we got to school I separated from the majority of kids on my bus to join my class. Unlike the rest who got to skip off straight to class, we had to line up outside the building for a head count. As if we were too dumb to find our way there on our own. It was embarrassing. I filed in line behind Robert Bateman, the kid who liked to stand on his chair while he worked, and in front of Jacky Hernandez, who was actually really smart but was placed in the special needs class because of her limp. Our school wasn't wheelchair accessible and we didn't have any of those fancy elevators so most times I helped her up the stairs. Most handicapped kids attend another school a few miles away. Other families just moved. Jacky was the only cripple- no that's a bad word she said- _physically disabled person?_ \- in our whole school.

Robert turned around and cocked his head at me before jerking back around to face the teacher. His ears were flaming red. He always gets that way when I come around. Jacky says it's because he likes me, but I don't think Robert really likes anyone. Aside from myself, he has to be the weirdest person in town. "Alright," Ms. Applecrest smiled. "You're all here. Now line up, single file- except you, Cody. You grab my hand. Good boy. Now follow me. No stragglers this time."

She walked us single file to the furthest room in the school on the highest floor. I felt like one of those princesses trapped in a tower, waiting for my prince charming to come get me. Well, maybe not prince charming but my headmaster was coming. Whoever came up with that word? Headmaster? Is it because he's a master people's thoughts? That would be weird but not too much I guess considering he's a witch. Or wizard. I think only girls can be called witches. _I'm_ a witch!

"Mary," my teacher snapped. I hadn't noticed how I got to my desk. I was too lost in my own thoughts. I imagine my eyes bulged like one of the three owls staring through the window right now. "Stand for the pledge of allegiance and for god sakes, try to pay attention in class today."

"Yes, ma'am." While we recited the pledge, I spotted Jacky sitting stubbornly with her arms crossed. She always did this. Jacky told me that by law, you didn't really _have_ to stand for the pledge of allegiance. It's because of the 'under God' part they added to it. It wasn't originally in the pledge.

 _"And How can I pledge allegiance to a country that can't even give me a dang elevator?"_ Jacky exclaimed while I helped her up the stairs one day. The teacher never made a fuss of trying to get Jacky to stand up. They just assumed her bum leg made it difficult, so they let her sit.

As class went on I tried to pay attention, but my gaze soon fell out the window again. It was such a sunny day today as May was just getting under way. The school year would be over soon. I didn't think it was fair that the middle school and high school got out in April while we were stuck here during the most hot days. But I would be in middle school this coming September.

Oh, wait. No, I wouldn't. I'd be going to witch school. Because I'm a witch. And after that, I'd be going to hell. Because I'm a witch.

A ruler smacked down on my desk with a force that shocked me from my thoughts. "I don't want to go to hell!" I screeched.

Ms. Applecrest gave a large sigh. "Then for the last time, Mary. _Pay. Attention._ "

"Yes, ma'am," I squeaked, thoroughly embarrassed at the giggles my outburst caused. "I-I'm sorry."

She just shook her head at me and gave me that resigned look she usually saved just for me. She knew, just as I did, that I wasn't going to be any better at paying attention now then I had been yesterday or the day before that. "I know you are."

Before she could get back to teaching, there was a knock at our door. A man I recognized as the honors teacher slipped inside with a bouquet of flowers. "Hey Leanne," he said with that suave smirk. Everyone knew that Mr. Clayton was head over heals for Ms. Applecrest. He'd been trying to woo her since her husband died four years ago. I'd know. I was in her class then too. She taught all the special education children. "You got a minute?"

She blushed slightly but tried to play it off with an eye roll. Ms. Applecrest was pretty. With her rolling sandy curls and the light dust of freckles across her face. Her eyes were the brightest hazel I'd ever seen. And she wasn't too old either. Thirty-five _is_ pretty old but our gym teacher Mr. Hornsby is, like, _seventy_. So I suppose thirty five isn't so old. "I'm in the middle of a class, Joshua."

"Now Leanne," he drawled in a baritone deeper than normal. He always did that when she was around. It was weird...

Maybe he's English too.

He strolled in toward her desk, setting the flowers down before scooping her into a sort of one armed hug that she didn't return. "You know these kids don't need no schoolin'. It ain't like any of it is sinking in."

"Regardless of what you think, I-"

"Sssssh." He placed a finger over her lips then looked at the rest of us. "Any of you know what it is you're learning today?" No one said anything. It was silent but for the hoots of the owls outside. Maybe the ones at the window knew what we were learning. Though I doubt anyone else had the same issues I had following along. No. We just don't like Mr. Clayton. He's real mean and talks about us like we're goldfish. "So you wouldn't mind if I borrowed Miss Applecrest for a minute."

It wasn't a question or a request. Again, none of us said anything. We just stared at them. Just stared like a couple of owls.

"You see? The lights are on but nobody's home," he smirked while dragging her out of the room. Her protests were in vain- not that she was putting up much of an effort.

When the door closed behind them, Robert climbed off of his chair. "How to identify variables..." he muttered. "We were doing the variables..."

Robert always payed attention in lessons. I think he actually likes school. Jerry, his best friend (probably only friend) patted him on the back to comfort him. I wonder what that would be like. To have a friend to tell things to. That would comfort me after a whooping from my father for associating with Franklin Jackson from across the train tracks. Franklin's a good dancer and one of the few people who had willingly wanted to associate with me after I turned the house upside down. He let me borrow his Usher CD. I never got to listen to it though. My mother snapped it in half and threw it in the garbage. I guess God doesn't like hip-hop.

On my way back from school, there were more people at my stop than usual. Including Jubilee and her friends who usually kept on the bus much farther. I turned around to see them giggling. They were following me to my house. I didn't realize why until I got home.

"Surprise!" My mother shouted at me. The other kids rushed in past me to my backyard but I was shocked stiff on the front porch. Though I think I faintly recognized someone shouting, _"There you are Cinnabon!"_

"You just looked so down and out," My mother cooed, pinching my cheeks. "I decided to throw you a little birthday party. Do you like it?" I slowly walked in. There were streamers all over the Livingroom and goodie bags on the dining room table. Never had my birthday been such an extravagant affair.

Never.

I looked from the large store-bought _vanilla icing_ cake, then to my mother. "F-for me? My...birthday?"

"Of course sweetie! Who else?"

I still didn't believe it. What did I do? Something was different. The owls, the letters, my real parents, and now this. A...birthday party? "But I thought birthdays were for praying?" I said, reciting what she had taught me. "Thanking God for letting you live another year. Not asking for gifts."

"Well after how much of a good girl you were, I decided you deserved a little reward. So, I invited all your friends."

"What friends?" The question spilled from my mouth before I could check it. My mother just laughed, in a far merrier mood than last night. I decided to leave her be. It was my blessing that she was in such a grand mood, but I still didn't want Jubilee and her friends here.

I walked out to the backyard and looked around. Everyone from the other classes were here, but no one from my class. _Maybe mama forgot to invite them?_ But there was a feeling, like a tiny voice in the back of my mind, that said she didn't. I ignored it. Only crazy people here voices. If I start listening to it, eventually, I'll start talking back to it. And that wouldn't do me any good.

I walked over to Jubilee and her friends. They were crowded around my gift table, away from the watchful eyes of the mothers by the terrace window. The blonde in question was standing by, stroking her cat in her arms while two of her friends shook wrapped boxes. "I think it's a doll. Charly's mother always gives girls dolls. I have five of them."

"My mother gave her socks," Kimberly Sweden snickered. "Said she didn't want to give anything but it'd be poor taste. She doesn't deserve a thing after what she did to out roof last winter." That winter my mother had brought me on a playdate to Kimberly's house so I could try to make more friends. It didn't work out. Kimberly and I got into a fight instead and the next thing I knew, it was happening again. That pain surged out of me and split the roof an inch apart, down the middle. Snow came spilling in. Mrs. Sweden hadn't spoken to my mother for months after that.

"I think this is a tea set," Page said after a good shake. Something fragile rattled inside.

Kathy cleared her throat loudly and everyone turned to see me standing there. "What do you want, freak?"

"I..." That was as far as I'd gotten. I didn't know what to say or even why I came over. I could have asked why they hated me so much, but it was kind of obvious with the whole roof thing.

They just stared before Jubilee gave Page some kind of nod in my direction. "You want to give it a try?" She smirked, still stroking her cat.

"Huh?"

Page approached me with one of my gifts. "Go ahead. All you have to do is shake it and try to guess what it is." She held it out to me, and hesitantly, I reached out for it. But before I could grab it from her, she dropped it. A sound like a shattering window rang out from its hollow inside. Kind of like the sound I heard break in my chest. For just a few seconds, I had hoped...

Page tossed back her inky black curls and they all laughed again. "Next time don't be so clumsy." Then she brushed past me and that feeling washed over me again. The same as last night. It wiggled up and down my spine and my eyes glazed over. It was cloudy but surprisingly warm. I was at the creek here in town. That was odd. I would never go down there. The older kids that were up to no good always hung out down there.

People were screaming, running, scattering in all different direction out of the creek water and onto the damp soil ground. Ice crept along the quickly freezing water while another girl lay, half frozen inside, her breath coming out in puffs of cold air before something else drifted out. A small ball of light lifted from her now varicose face and dispersed into the air. It was suddenly cold. So cold. Blue light flashed all around me, leaving nothing to be seen but a skull and snake symbol carved into a far away tree.

Suddenly, I was aware of where I was again. I wasn't so cold anymore. But I was still scared. "Did you see that stupid look on her face," Jubilee giggled from somewhere behind me. I was alone again, as always. I didn't want to be a witch anymore. The memory of frost that trapped one of the older girl's arms under water, the other flailed aimlessly around as if trying to push away the looming force above her. The force of the faceless gray cloud that pressed its murky lips to hers.

I shivered and ran inside, upstairs to my room. I halted in the hall. "M-Mary!" My mother stuttered. Once she realized I was there, that is. Father Evans had her pretty distracted. He detached his lips from her neck and removed his hand from her skirt. "Mary what are you doing up here? Go back downstairs with your friends."

"My friends?" It was like it wasn't even my voice. Far meeker than even I know myself capable of.

"Yes, your friends. Jubilee wanted to see you so much. Go," she said, making a shooing motion with her hands. "Go, I said. And don't tell your father." I stared from her to Father Evans before walking back down stairs. Was Father Evans touching Mama's butt? That had to be wrong. She wouldn't even let Papa touch her butt.

I sat in a chair in the corner for the rest of the party. No one noticed. They were all doing their own things. The women were gossiping, the men were talking sports, and the children were all out in the backyard.

Three hours of sitting in that rickety wooden chair and finally they grabbed me to sing me happy birthday. The song was jovial with the liquor they had drank over the course of their stay. "Blow out your candles and make a wish!" Mr. Whitaker slurred.

I wanted to tell them that I had already had my wish. But it wouldn't hurt to blow them out anyway.

The candle was out before I could work up a breath. Staring at me from across my cake was Jubilee Evans, smiling like a Cheshire cat. Everyone laughed and cooed and awed over how adorably funny she was. I just sat back and watched while _Jubilee_ got the first slice of my cake, while _Jubilee_ got the big goodie bag with the 'Happy Birthday Mary' sticker stuck to the back, while _Jubilee_ got to open the presents that I took too long to open, while _Jubilee_ got the 'My Journal' diary with the voice recognition lock that I wanted, while _Jubilee_ got everything _she_ wanted at _my_ party. She smiled back at me with that insane smile, everyone crowded around her like bees to honey...ants to sugar... **moths to a flame**.

And I sat in the corner alone and confused and scared and angry. The devil crept into me again. Formed words on my lips that I knew I didn't mean. That I knew I would regret. "I hate you," I hissed, staring at her, willing her to hear me over the sound of music and merriment. "I wish you'd just disappear..."


	3. Chapter 3: Doodle

" _Hell? I mean Hell is only relative I suppose. Despite what the teachings of some Muggle religions will have you believe, there isn't a Heaven and a Hell. There's just this world and the beyond. Though I do believe those darker souls tend to, well, congregate. Muggle religions are just silly fables that give their mundane lives a bit of meaning. Surely you don't buy into any of that, do you Mary?"_

 _\- Professor Horace Slughorn_

Chapter 3: Doodle

I prayed to God that night. By the time school rolled around the next day, I felt a lot better. I went through the lessons smiling even though I knew my entire class hated me. They all thought that I had intentionally not invited them to my birthday party yesterday. Jacky had even gone so far as to walk up the stairs by _herself_. I felt a little bad for a while but now I could care less. At some point today, someone was coming to pick me up. The letter said so. Instead of packing my school books, I stuffed my back pack with all the clothes I could fit, my letter so I could have some proof it was me, and a pencil and a sheet of paper for class in case they waited until after school to come get me. An adult would think to do something like that.

That pretty owl was following me again, now more obviously than usual. I like him, or her, I couldn't tell which. I decided to name him Tiberius. He was the closest thing I ever had to a pet.

I hope its a boy or else that would be a weird name...

I doodled on the paper in between trying to take notes. I was bored and trying to pass the time. One was a giant eyeball, but it was ugly so I scribbled on it. I started out drawing Santa, but I accidently made him too skinny so I stopped. Then I drew lightening like I'd seen last week out over the hills. And a skinny dog, and a snake fighting a mongoose (Jacky told me they were natural born enemies) and a few more meaningless things. A necklace, a stick figure of me drinking out of a king cup (because I could make one now that I was a witch), rings and coins, and a big sword to kill Jubilee's cat with.

I never took my back pack off, not even for lunch. Instead, I sat through the other kids making fun of me, screaming _"I don't want to go to hell"_ loud enough for the whole cafeteria to hear. Jubilee wasn't there to egg them on today. She hadn't been on the bus either. I don't even know how they found out about that, but I don't care. I wasn't staying here.

Hours passed and still I waited.

School let out and still I waited.

The sun went down, and I'd finally given up waiting. Instead I was dressed in my pajamas, sitting in the den so I could think. What had I done? Why didn't they come to get me? Was I really that horrible that they didn't want me either. Like my birth parents. Maybe my mother really did throw me in the trash. Maybe this whole thing was a joke or a test of my faith in God, and I'd failed. I love God, but I failed horribly. I know witches go to hell, but I wanted to be one of them. I packed in secret. I read the letter when I knew Mama would have forbid it. I'm disobeying them right now just by being here in the den. I'm supposed to be tucked in bed, but instead I'm sitting here while my parents sleep upstairs.

"Why doesn't anyone want me?" Was I that horrible? Oh, who was I kidding. I _was_ that horrible. I'm not pretty or smart or talented. I never pay attention in lessons and destroyed our last house. The only good thing I can say is that I'm obedient. A _dog_ can be obedient.

I felt a breeze roll in from the empty fireplace. It moved against my cheeks and pushed up the bangs of my hair. Wind doesn't come from the fireplace though. I leaned forward onto my hands and knees and looked closer. There amongst the ashes and charred logs was a small green flame. "What?" I muttered to myself. That small flame flickered until, like a flash, it became so much more.

It twisted like a spiraling curtain of silk, growing larger until it filled the space and casted a glow on my horrified face. I jerked away from the fire, scooting back on my butt until my back bumped into the couch. I wanted to cry out for my father. For my mother. God had come to judge me. I was going to damnation in a blaze of green hellfire.

Something was forming in it. A pale hand reached like an eerie claw. Dark eyes shining and flying purple hair greeted me. _"Mary,"_ it's voice rippled over to me while it stood in all its cloaked glory, unmarred by burns and ready to drag me to the afterlife. I did what any ten- sorry, right. _Eleven_ year old would do.

I screamed like mad and ran.


	4. Chapter 4: What Does IP Stand For?

" _Cerberus? Why would you be asking about Fluffy? No, I mean, they're Fluffy, I hear. Run along now."_

 _\- Rubeus Hagrid_

Chapter 4: What Does I.P. Stand For?

"Mary!" I heard my father call from upstairs. Doors banged open. They were checking my room.

That _demon_ from hell was blocking the stairs. "Calm down, Mary," it cooed in a voice deceivingly comforting. That's just what it wanted me to do. The moment I started to trust it, it was going to drag me straight to hell through whatever portal it opened in our fire place. Just like in the movie, "Casper Meets Wendy".

"Go away," I whimpered, "I don't want to go to hell! You can't make me!" I think I was crying. Like it would care. Flames burst from the fireplace again. This time the largest black man I'd ever seen, maybe a whole foot taller than Franklin's father, crawled out.

"What? No one's going to hell, Mary."

I picked up my mother's favorite lamp from Berlin and threw it at her. What did I have to lose? "LIAR!" I ran to the front door when I saw my parents coming down the stairs. I could at least keep them safe.

"No Mary!" The new man in the room shouted.

"Don't let her open the door, Kingsley!" But it was too late. I was out of the house and running. I'm a good runner. I'm faster than all the other kids in my class. Maybe the demons would get tired if I ran for long enough.

Sure enough, when I looked back, they hadn't grown tired at all. And they were pointing sticks of death-

I stopped running when it clicked in my mind. _A stick or a wand?_ How could I really tell the difference?

The large man snatched me up off my feet like a barrel. "Are you Dumble... _Dumble_..." How much trouble do you get into for forgetting your headmaster's name? "Dumble's friends? The witches?"

" _Yes_ , Mary. If he told you we were coming, why did you run?"

"He didn't say you'd come through the _fireplace_! I thought I was going to hell."

The man holding me, Kingsley is what she called him, let out a large bark of a laugh that was only interrupted by a small meow. I looked down from my dangling position in the pit of his arm to see Cinnabon was back. "You don't live here you stupid cat. Go home."

Neither witch paid attention to the cat. They turned back to the house. I hadn't gotten very far. It was on the walk back that I noticed there weren't any owls around.

"You put her down!" My mother screeched when we were safely back inside. "You can't have her. She's our daughter. A child of God. She isn't like _you people_!"

The woman in the room just stood aside with a frown while my Mama prattled on. Now that I wasn't terrified that she was some type of fleshy grim reaper, I could notice how pretty she really is. Her eyes were dark but not as cold as my fear had painted them to be. Her hair was bleeding orange at the moment though. I liked it better purple. "Enough!" She shouted out when my mother had gotten into how witches were the lovers of Lucifer. "She _isn't_ your daughter and you know it."

"We raised her!"

"You stole her!" Tonks snarled back. "You have no claim to her what so ever. Regardless of what you may want to think, she's a witch. And by forcing her to deny what she is, you've done nothing but endanger her life and yours as well."

"My life?" I squeaked.

She winced, possibly having forgotten about me. "Let's go."

"Wait!" I shouted. "My backpack. It's upstairs."

Kingsley shuffled me around and with the flick of a wand, my stuffed back pack, and a few bags I didn't use anymore, came flying down the stairs. The lady with the constantly changing hair caught it. "That all?"

They hadn't waited for me to answer. When my parents tried to interfere, they dropped like logs under the power of the wand. I wanted one. When would I get one?

"Hold on tight," came the deep baritone of Kingsley. What, exactly, he expected me to hold on to was as big a mystery to me as how they got here through my fireplace. I just gripped his cloak, bunching it at his knees before we were consumed in a roar of green flames and wind. "I.P Landing. London, England..."

The last I would be seeing of my parents would be their forms slumped to the ground in our Livingroom. As excited as I was to go, this was surprisingly sad.


	5. Chapter 5: Chili Cheese Fries

" _I read somewhere once that a Cerberus would actually make a decent pet but only if you get them as puppies. Otherwise they're super lethal…what?...Yes I read for fun. Surprised?"_

 _\- Dean Thomas_

Chapter 5: Chili Cheese Fries

After we left my home, we went through a few more fireplaces. Unlike the ones in my house, the others looked more like fancy brick tubes. The landings were all crowded with people that were coming in or going. They even checked over my things. It was like the witch version of an airport.

Kingsley finally put me down when we were in public but held tightly to my hand so I wouldn't get lost. I looked up at him, pictured my father in his place. He was holding my hand at the zoo- no, the town fair. I always liked the town fair better. The zoo doesn't have chili cheese fries. He was holding my hand at the fair and smiling at me and we were having fun.

The memory was so vivid in my mind, I didn't know whether I had truly just made it up or if it had actually happened. I tended to do that a lot. My overactive imagination would confuse me into thinking certain things happened that didn't. Even if they couldn't happen in a million-billion years. "Watch where you're going, Mary." The deep voice snapped through my thoughts like a firecracker. My father's face was no longer present. Instead, concerned eyes stared back at me.

"Yes, sir," I mumbled, suddenly shy for reasons I didn't understand. I had been so eager to leave with them beforehand. Now here I was, and all I wanted was to go home.

I looked around at my strange surroundings. This place was a constant bustling of people with the sound of growing and dying flames flickering in the background at a pace as constant as silence itself. There were tall people with foot long crusting fingernails and short people with sagging wrinkles and beards. There was a man shorter than me with bulging muscles and short creatures with pointy ears and rags draped over their bodies.

There was luggage floating and paper planes flying. One read _"MEMO: Watch for immigrating Fa-."_ That was as far as I'd gotten before it disappeared over the heads of people much taller than me. Lights whizzed and blinked all around for seemingly no reason at all. All I could do was stare and try to keep up with the two adult's long strides. There were a couple of moments where we had to wait in line until we finally reached a large, overbearing man. He had scruffy brown hair and hands the size of really big hammers. Really _really_ big hammers. "Shacklebolt," he grunted with a nod in greeting. He grunted at Tonks much the same way. Then he turned his brown crowfeet eyes down at me. I might have flinched. I'm not sure. A man that big, even bigger than Kinglelesk...y...King. I know it started with King. That's what I'll call him now. What was I saying? "This her?"

I opened my mouth but quickly snapped it shut when I realized that, just because he was looking at me, doesn't mean he was talking to me. "Yeah. Looks just like Ellen, donn't she?" Tonks smirked.

He grunted again, this time with a hint of something dismal in his eyes. "Looks more like Yagar to me. Poor kid." Then he turned around and walked away. We followed him to a desk where there was a much smaller man seated. He didn't look up at us at all. Just kept scribbling away at some paper with his quill.

"What are we registering today?"

"Not a what," The large man corrected. "A who. We want to register a seer."

He looked up at Tonks and raised a brow. "When did you start seeing into the future?"

"Oh not me," Tonks said with a shake of her head. Then I was nudged ahead toward the man with his large glasses. He looked down at me with something like annoyance in his gaze. It was kind of scary.

I didn't know I was backing away until I bumped into the leg of the large man. "The child? How old are you?"

Again my mouth opened and closed. Kind of like the fish I took out of my tank that time. "She's eleven."

"Huh. Supposed to be the coming of age of great seers. I haven't seen one of those in over twenty years." His tone was skeptical at best. "I'm going to need some proof. Can you predict something for me right now."

"R-right now?" It was the first thing I'd said since I got here. "Predict?"

"A vision of the future child." He leaned forward over his desk. "You've had them, haven't you?"

Is that what those things were? When I would see things that weren't happening. "I don't know," I shrugged. It's surprising my voice wasn't lost in all the noise of this place. "I-I don't-"

"Mary." Tonks stooped down to my level, blonde hair hanging in her face. "Mary have you seen anything that wasn't there. Have you ever seen anything happen before it happens?"

My mind briefly flew back to what I saw happen to the older kids at the creek. Was that actually going to happen? Had it happened already? Instead I opted to think of something else. "My letter. I knew my Mama was going to catch me with my letter. I saw her catch me and yell at me. But it hadn't actually happened." I was wringing my hands. Something I rarely did because my mother hates when I fidget.

The old man seemed to be more confused after that but nodded anyway. "That qualifies. Now I'll need a demonstration. Predict something for me."

"What?" 

Tonks turned toward me again. "He'll need you to predict something else, Mary. If you can. If you can't it's alright."

"I don't know how. It usually just happens," I shrugged.

"Is there anything that triggers them?" King asked. "Sometimes there's a thought or a feeling."

I thought hard but couldn't come up with anything. There was no hot and cold feeling. No presence of being where I am and somewhere else all at the same time. Nothing. "I can't."

The old man clucked his tongue and pulled out his wand. "Then I suppose the only other option would be to take a peek into your memories myself." He pulled out a wand from his robes and pointed it at me. Then it hit me like a slap in the face. That feeling again.

Everything swirled into a weird void of dark dampness. Chains rattled and screams shook the molding walls. And there was growling. Growling and laughing. A dark cloak loomed above me. It was a man in a shiny metal mask. And when he lifted his wand to my face, he sleeve rolled back to reveal a skull and snake tattoo like the ones I've seen before. He pulled his mask away and it was the old man, looking down at me with large manic eyes. He looked so much more sallow and pale. "It has to be this way child. For my little Ravenclaw. Now stay still."

There was a flurry of light and wind before I was pulled back to the present. I was being asked a question but the sound around me was garbled, like I was underwater. "Hey kid," The large man nudged me. "You spaced."

The old man was leaning over his desk, looking at me intently over the frames of his large glasses. "Your eyes..." he mumbled. "Did you just have a vision?" I was speechless. Completely and utterly speechless. The man before me no longer made me nervous. He had me terrified. He took my wide-eyed frozen expression as a yes. "Tell me what you saw."

I shook my head no, but my mouth unhinged and blurted out a reply that even I hadn't expected to come from me. "You have a child." It was clever. _I_ was clever. It had to be because I'm English.

But then again, I'd never been particularly clever before...

His face drooped into something somber. So, I guessed right. "Yes. Megan. She's seven. Why? What did you see?"

The other adults were interested as well. I pasted on a nervous smile. "You...call her your little Ravenclaw?"

"I've never called her that," he frowned. "Unless...unless you're trying to say that Megan's going to be sorted into Ravenclaw?!" I had no idea what he was talking about but his face looked so joyous that I simply agreed with it all. He was a bad man. Every person I'd seen associated with that mark was doing something bad and this one wanted to hurt me. The sooner I left him behind, the better. "Oh this is good news. My wife thinks she'll be a Slytherin like her but I knew any child of mine was bound for Ravenclaw." Never mind how sick it was that this incredibly old man had a seven year old child. I just nodded and smiled like I knew what he was talking about. "Did you see anything else?"

I think you were going to kill me. "No. I'm sorry."

He simply nodded. "It's okay. It isn't anything big but you did manage to predict something relevant to a person present. Not many seers can do that. Level 3 at the least. Not too shabby-"

"Uh, sir," Tonks but in. "I don't think that's necessarily appropriate given her lineage."

He peered at me again, this time more curious. "What is your name child?"

"M-M-Mary Ellen Greggory."

"Greggory? I haven't heard of any seers named Greggory-"

"Smith," The large man corrected. "Her last name is Smith. Greggory is the surname of her previous caretakers."

"...Smith?" He seemed to ponder it.

"Yagar Smith and her mother Mary-Ellen McGowen Smith. She's the last blood relation of the McGowen family. Famous for their talent in the paranormal."

Wide eyes looked into my own. I had no idea what they meant exactly but apparently my biological parents were a big deal. "The last McGowen," he whispered in awe. "A line of some of the most talented witches and wizards of all time. Not a single seer from that family has ever been anything less than a level 6." He scribbled a few things down then got up from around his desk. His wrinkled bony hand trembled when it grabbed onto my arm. "Now I want you to stand here," he said before standing me in front of a large blue sheet. There was what looked like an old fashioned camera in front of me. I only saw that kind of thing in movies. "Smile." He ducked under the cloth of it and snapped my photo. I never got the chance to smile. I probably wouldn't have either. "For now we'll register her under a level 3. There will be changes as necessary the older she gets."

After that the big man, who's name I finally learned was Mac, disappeared. King, Tonks, and I were all seated for a while until someone finally came over with a pocket sized file for me. "These are her papers. She'll be officially registered under Ministry file by next Monday. This gives time for the background check and all that. And this," she said, holding up a small trinket, "is your bracelet. With this on, all your visions will be recorded, orbed, and stored in the Department of Mysteries." Department of Mysteries? Like Scooby Doo? The woman kneeled down to my level where I sat, looking me in the eye. "After you've officially been registered, you are required, _by law_ , to keep this on at all times." It was a small slip of a bracelet- glassy blue with a small clear ball hanging from it. She instructed me to hold out my arm while she clasped it on. I held it up for myself to see and watched as the little ball glowed green. "Green is the color of a Level 3 seer. So, remember. Don't take it off."

I nodded, too focused on the glowing green thing to pay attention to what the mousy woman had to say. "Yes, Ma'am." Her eyes widened a bit, possibly not expecting the southern drawl.

We left after that to another one of those _fluuing_ things. King held onto me again and spoke loud and clear. "Floo number one, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." And just like before, we disappeared in a grand blaze of green flames. I hate traveling this way. It makes me dizzy...


	6. Chapter 6: My Dad Was UuuGLY

" _A Hellgate and a Veil are two different things. A Veil is a one-way ticket to the other side. You walk in, but you don't walk out. A Hellgate…well all manner of things may come back out."_

 _\- Allister Moody_

Chapter 6: My Dad Was UuuGly

King's grip on me wasn't as solid as it had been the past few times. The moment we landed, I went stumbling out, landing hard on the plush shag red carpeting. "Oomph!"

"I'm sorry," King rushed over and hoisted me up. There was another sound of blazing fire before the woman Tonks came in behind us.

I looked up at the sound of squawking, letting Kingsley- HEY! I remembered his name!- letting _Kingsley_ help me up off the floor. The most beautiful bird I had ever seen stood perched with his head cocked in my direction. "Pretty," I cooed in awe of the animal. I don't know if he understood but his chest puffed out just a little bit more.

"His name is Fawkes," came a scratchy airy voice from the top of the stairs. A man as thin as Jesus Christ with a beard like Santa came floating down. He was an angel in weird purple clothes. He had the coolest glasses and these bright blue eyes that were staring right at me. Now that I think about it, he was staring at me kind of weird. "I see you've all arrived safely. Kingsley, Nymphadora, nice to see you." They exchanged greetings and that's when I learned that this was _him_. Dumble-something. He was about to kneel down to my eye level like so many people had been doing that day but I stopped him.

"No," I said, hold out my hands to make sure he stayed upright. He was old- _very_ old by the looks of it. One thing I learned from the very few visits my parents let me pay to my grandfather, old people had bad bones and stiff joints. I grabbed his hand and moved him to sit in the comfiest chair in the room. "You shouldn't bend over. You'll strain yourself." His thick white brows raised to his hairline while Tonks tried to smother a giggle.

"How very polite of you," he said with what I think was amusement in his tone. "But I think you'll find I am just a bit more capable regardless of how old I may appear." He waved a hand at the chair in front of his desk. "You have a seat as well. You and I have much to discuss before you go."

"Go?" I asked in a bit of a panic. "You mean I can't stay."

"O- Oho dear no we aren't kicking you out. You will be back at the start of the term with all the other children." Then he turned to the adults. "May you wait outside while I speak to her alone?"

If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought I was in trouble. That was impossible though. I was barely here two seconds. And while there were more than plenty of knickknacks in this room for me to get into, I hadn't had time to touch a thing I wasn't supposed to. At the site of the candy dish on the desk, I sat on my hands. The last thing I wanted was to start off the school year with a detention. Instead his long fingers reached in and plucked one out himself. "Lemon drop?" he asked, holding the dish out to me. Mama always told me it was rude not to accept a gift. But she also told me never to take candy from strangers.

"No thank you, sir," I croaked. As comforting as his presence was, he made me nervous. I never felt the need to be so at ease with anyone ever in my life and that frightened me.

He just hummed and ate the candy himself. Old people don't usually like sweets so much. Well except for old man Nelson. He ate a bag of chocolates a week from the local chocolatier but the new girl there didn't remember stop selling to him. He's an eighty-year old diabetic. They found him dead on the toilet the next day. I remember because the kids at school were laughing that he was on the toilet. "Mary?" Mr. Dumble said, waving a hand in my face. I snapped my attention to him. Had he been talking this whole time? "You seem distracted."

"It happens sometimes. I'm sorry, sir," I mumbled. Truth was it happened more often than sometimes. But a little white lie wouldn't hurt. He just smiled at me over his glasses as if he could re-...read my mind...I suddenly remembered my fear of the _headmaster_. "What's a headmaster?"

"Sort like what you have at your school. The man or woman in charge."

"A principal?"

"Precisely."

"So then they don't call you a headmaster because you can read people's thoughts?"

He laughed at that. I don't understand why he laughed. I knew nothing about his kind of people. So it seemed like a genuine question to ask. He never did answer it. "Let us get to the point. I don't want to keep your escorts waiting too long. And you still have somewhere else to be."

He dug into the top drawer and pulled out a photo of two older kids in uniforms. I almost dropped it after he handed it to me. But wouldn't you? They started moving. "W-what is it?"

"That is an old photograph of your parents when they were seventh year students here."

"My parents?" I picked the picture back up and held it for a closer look. They were young. Far too young for it to register that they gave birth to me. No one wanted to think of their parents as kids. The girl, my mother, was really pretty. She had dirty blonde hair in perfect curls. Like the old blonde Charlie's Angel. That must have been the popular way to wear your hair back then. But her hair was kind of short. Still, it framed a soft smiling face full of white shining teeth. It hurt to look at her. She reminded me far too much of Jubilee. It somehow wasn't very comforting to know that my own mother may have been one of _them_ \- popular. The boy on the other hand looked a lot less like he fit the bill of the boys that bully me for taking remedial classes. He was incredibly tall and well built. Not like a football player. Like a soldier. His hair was brown and greasy looking. Not to mention entirely too long. A braid came over his shoulder that stopped at his hip. Oh, his _face_! With a father like that, I was lucky if I looked plain. His features were sharp and pointy. They made him look angry. I now had someone to blame for the bags under my eyes. They were squinty and hazel but even through the picture, they looked like they were laughing. "They looked happy going here."

"They were," he nodded. "Your father was one of five exchange students we accepted. He came in from Bulgaria his fourth year. Your mother was from a very prominent fam-"

"What does prominent mean?"

"Something like outstanding. They were a very important family." I nodded to let him know I understood. Regardless of what my teachers thought, I like to learn new things. At least when I care about what I'm learning. If I don't, I tend to get distracted. "The McGowens were a very powerful family of pureblood witches and wizards. And all the talent and prestige of their blood flows through your very veins, Mary," he smiled with a tap to my arm. I looked down at myself as if I would see words like _talent_ and _prominent_ swimming by in my blood like alphabet soup. "You are a seer, Mary. Seers are people born with the gift to see things that haven't happened yet. Or signs and symbols of someone's fortune. It may not always work at will. Everyone's power works differently. If you get really good at it, you'll be able to predict things or see omens whenever you want."

Now that sounded really cool. Really _really_ cool. "So I could cheat on tests and stuff?"

He simply laughed again. But he never answered me. Maybe Dumble gets distracted too, just like me. But he's old so it would only make sense. Shouldn't he have retired by now? "Now to a more serious matter-"

"Can I keep this?" I asked, holding up the picture. I hadn't meant to interrupt him. I've been doing that a lot lately I noticed.

"Yes Mary. It's yours," he said, his eyes were gravely serious. "Now no more interrupting okay?"

"Yes, sir." I couldn't put the picture in my pocket without folding it up so I sat on it instead. Kingsley had my bag.

"The magic in your blood is very precious, Mary, but it's also hurting you." He stopped me when I opened my mouth to interrupt. "Let me finish. It's all to do with the way you've been raised. You're a pureblood witch. Magic is sowed into every fiber of your being. It's your life-"

"But I've never used magic before." I quickly clapped a hand over my mouth when I realized I had interrupted.

"But you did once. Every child does at one point. It's a way to show that a young wizard is coming into their own. It's like your magic itself is alive and growing with the years." He looked like he was having a difficult time speaking about this.

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with me?"

"It's your magic. It's been stunted." His eyes traveled up over my head for a moment, to a portrait of a smiling little girl. "It's rare that this ever happens, almost unheard of. But when a wizard is traumatized at a younger age, when the magic is just establishing itself, and that wizard is forced to reject their magic, it stops the natural flow of things. Like a dam. It keeps building up until it overflows or breaks through. Usually triggered by an emotion. After that it lashes out. You can't control it. It's just painful and destructive." I sat there, silent. I couldn't speak. I didn't know what he wanted me to say. "I need to know what happened Mary."

"What...happened?"

"When you first used magic. Did someone hurt you because of it?"

I hadn't thought of that day, not really, since it ended. I find that when I do, bad things happen. Worse than splitting a roof or turning the house upside down. I was five years old at the time I first used magic. "I don't want to talk about it," I said after I felt the familiar vibration under my fingertips.

He looked solemn. "It was your guardians. The Greggory's." He wasn't asking anymore. Somehow, he just knew. It strangely bothered me that this man was judging my parents. For a couple of people I didn't like much, I was protective of them at the oddest of times.

"They only wanted to help me." Vibrations turned to itching. The pain would come next.

Dumble got up from behind his desk and tried to grab my hands but I flinched away. It always hurt when people touched me while I was like this. Everywhere they pressed was like a whole being stopped up. No place for the pain to pour out of. "It is _imperative_ that you tell me what happened."

I didn't know what imperative meant either but I imagine it meant important too. He uses a lot of important words. "I-I-I saved a dog." My voice was thin and rasped. The candy dish started to rattle now. "We were at another church fundraiser. A puppy-mill. I can't remember why but I knew the roofing was going to collapse on one of the puppy cages. No one would believe me. So I went and got the puppy myself...

 _The sound of old hits from the sixties and gospel music rattled the old rusty pipes of the mill. No matter that it probably hurt the dogs' ears. They were strays and we were rescuing them. Kind of like the way my parents recued me. I tugged on the end of my mother's dress. "Mama...Maw-"_

 _"What_ is _it now, child?" she hissed. I had interrupted another conversation between her and father Evans. It didn't matter. It looked like his wife was about to interrupt them anyway._

 _"The roof Mama. I saw it."_

 _"There's nothing wrong with the roof."_

 _"But-"_

 _"Just shut it already. Why don't you go play with Jubilee? Leave grown folks be."_

 _But I kept seeing it. There was going to be a loud bang and then a chunk of roofing was going to fall and squash the little gray terrier. And he was so small. And so cute. No one wanted him. He was the skinniest of the lot and a bit awkward looking but he was cute just the same. No one wanted him. Just like no one wanted me. I opened the cage myself and pulled him out. We weren't supposed to, but I did. I didn't want him to be squashed. "Hey," I cooed and pet the little thing. He barked back. A pathetic sort of bark. "It's alright. I won't let anything happen to you."_

 _I must have sat there for at least an hour before the big bang happened. I never thought far enough ahead to move out of the way. I was always forgetting to do things. One of the Jennings boys ran the car into the side of the mill. The pipes rattled and groaned until three came loose, spraying steam this way and that. The roof cracked. And rather than moving I looked up at it. In utter fascination. Like seeing something familiar for the first time. Impossible, I know, but it happened that way. It was Deja vu._

 _"MARY!"_

 _That scream was what alerted me to the danger I put myself in. The plaster really was going to kill me. I shoved the puppy underneath me and huddled around it for protection. I didn't want the puppy to get hurt. More than anything else, I wanted it to be okay..._

I hadn't noticed when I closed my eyes but when I opened them, I felt so very dizzy. Glass and yellow candy were all over the floor. Kingsley and Tonks were back in the room. And I was blacking out.


	7. Chapter 7: The Perfect Pancake

" _I heard you've been running around asking questions…very curious inquiries you have. Would you like to discuss them over a cup of Verites Serum?"_

 _\- Professor Quirrell?_

Chapter 7: The Perfect Pancake

My head was killing me but everything else felt absolutely perfect. I was warm, snuggly, and my face tickled. Someone was _breathing_ on my face. I opened my eyes. They took me a while to focus, but when they did, it was to meet a pair of squinty blue eyes staring at me. I gasped and jerked upright in bed. Whose bed was this? Where was I? "Who are you?"

"There you are, Seamus," a woman with a laundry basket and a funny accent came into the room. "Don't scare the poor girl. Go fetch your dirty linens so that I can wash them."

"Yes Mum," the boy nodded and hurried out of the room without a look back.

The older woman smiled after him before coming in the room. She was a stout and muscular woman with wild curling mahogany hair. "I see you're up. How are you feeling?" Her tone was brisk but kind all the same.

"I'm fine," I answered with some hesitation. "Who are you?"

With a smile she set down the basket and sat at the edge of the bed. "I'm your cousin dear. Well, your cousin-in-law twice removed but those are just technicalities. Family is family I always say."

My head still held remnants of an ache I knew all too well. It was always after one of my _accidents_. "What happened?"

"Your magic went off on a bit of a tangent last night. You passed out before you did any real damage but for safety's sake, we moved you out into the guest house. Just until you get your magic in order. It wouldn't do for you to destroy the only home we have." She laughed and gave my leg a pat. "Now if you're up for it, I want you cleaned up in time for breakfast in thirty minutes. The washroom is the last door on the right at the end of the hall. I'm going back to the main house to get this laundry done."

She didn't wait for me to say anything. She just bustled off and left me to do as she instructed. If I had any reason to think so, I could swear she looked like she was running from me. But that made no sense. None what-so-ever.

My backpack was sitting beside the bed. I climbed down, grabbed it, and head down the hall to the hall to the bathroom. It was where she said it would be. It looked plain and hastily put together. There was some generic bar of soap from a brand I didn't recognize lying in the soap dish, venetians on the window, and a clear shower curtain. The curtain smelled of fresh cheap plastic, like it had just been taken out of the packaging and hung up moments before I got there. It was now that I realized I hadn't packed a washcloth. You always forget something...

...thank god it wasn't my tooth brush.

I made sure the door was locked in case that creepy boy from before decided to pay me another visit, and stripped to get in. I leaned over to turn on the water knobs. Instantly, freezing jets of water sprayed me and the rest of the bathroom floor. The showerhead knob had already been turned and it twisted on its own. I hurried to turn the water back off before the floor got any more wet than it already was. I was going to be in trouble now.

After a complicated time wrestling the showerhead and trying my best to get clean without making a bigger mess, I changed clothes. My favorite "What Would Jesus Do?" T-shirt and a pair of frayed shorts that used to be pants but my mom cut off into shorts to be frugal. I got my shirt two years ago. It was my first ever gift for no reason from my mom and the cotton was starting to wear thin. The color was fading too. The purple was starting to look gray and the little Jesus' halo had disappeared into it. But a good shirt was still a good shirt.

I was reminded of the huge puddle I'd left when I felt my socks getting wet. I used my towel to mop up most of it but things were still damp...like the ceiling.

The entire guesthouse looked pretty plain, lacking in any real decoration or warmth. The walls were bare and white, the furniture all mismatched as if they were leftovers. I followed the little cobblestone path leading to the main house. I could tell from the noise inside and the smell of food that this was a far warmer place- homier. I could smell fresh biscuits and sausage- AND PANCAKES! I _love_ pancakes. I sped up my walk through the open patio door, into the living room. There, a large man in dirty jeans and lots of flannel was spinning around with the boy from before hoisted over his shoulder.

"I'm getting dizzy, Dad!"

"I believe that's the point, kid!" He replied with a loud bark of a laugh. They looked so happy. Is that what a parent and child were supposed to look like? Laughing, spinning, participating in activities that could result in brain damage? "Well there you are. A far sight better without all the vomit." The large man had stopped mid spin to smile at me.

"Vomit sir?"

"Hush up, Husband," the woman from before, my so-and-so cousin Mrs. Finnigan snapped with a plate in her hand. "Don't bother her with that."

"Bother me with what?" What was I missing? My voice was so tiny they went on speaking without answering me. It was very possible they hadn't heard me. It happens a lot, even when I think I'm speaking up. I find I'm fairly easy to ignore.

"Just come and eat already. I've told you boys about horsing around in my Livingroom," she warned, shaking the plate in her fist then disappearing into the dining room again.

"Yes, Wife."

"Yes, mum."

"Come along girl," Mr. Finnigan waved. "You are hungry, aren't you? You look it. Little slip of a thing."

I didn't bother to respond. I just followed after him. The dining room table was set. A large stack of pancakes sat in the middle, syrup to the side, butter and bacon and sausage and orange juice. My stomach growled at the sight of it all. And to my embarrassment, they all laughed. I sat and Mrs. Finnigan put two pancakes on my plate, some bacon, and a sausage link. "How about you see what you can do with that before we give you anymore," smiled before serving her son and her husband.

I stared at it all at first. It simply looked too good to eat. Like the food in the commercials. "It's not burnt," I mumbled to myself. My mother always blackened one or both sides of the pancake or over crisped the bacon. It was an unspoken rule that she no longer cook sausage after the last fiasco with the burning oven mitt. The other three had tucked into their meals. I should probably start eating soon before it gets cold.

I bowed my head over my plate and clasped my hands, reciting a prayer in my mind that I knew too well over the years. I thanked God for the food, promised him I wouldn't be a glutton and reach for seconds, and finally prayed that this wasn't some twisted version of Hansel and Gretel where the witch only cooked to fatten the children up to eat for dinner. When I looked up from my prayer to tuck in, the other three were staring at me with the oddest expressions on their faces.

"What are you doing?" their son asked with a look on his face one would give dirt on their shoe.

My voice was raspy with lack of use. "Praying."

"To _who_?"

Mrs. Finnigan cleared her throat. "That'll be enough of that Seamus. Eat your food," she ordered with a swift cuff to the back of his head. They went back to eating but I could tell they had their eyes peeled for anything else I might do that would be out of place to them. I had to remember that witches didn't pray or go to church.

And now I was a witch, so I suppose I didn't anymore either.

After breakfast Mrs. Finnigan gave a quick tour of the house before jetting me right back to the guest house. "I want you to feel completely at home here. This will be like your own little home. And if you ever need anything, we're right down the path," she said with what looked like a guilty smile. I didn't know what she had to feel guilty about. I just smiled back.

"Yes, ma'am."

She giggled at my accent again like she had been all of breakfast whenever I spoke. "Precious," she muttered to herself before leaving me there alone. I couldn't have known it at the time but I wouldn't be spending much of any time outside the guest house.


	8. Chapter 8: Death-Stick Library

" _Don't worry your simple mind over things beyond your curriculum. Instead, focus on your Potions essay. It's worth 25% of your grade Miss Smith…"_

 _\- Severus Snape_

Chapter 8: Death-Stick Library

I rarely ever ventured from the guest house and when I did, Mrs. Finnigan found me like a bloodhound on a wounded sheep to heard me right back inside. I was beginning to feel like Rapunzel locked in the tower. Except I was no princess, my hair wasn't _nearly_ as long, and a tower would have been _way_ cooler. Still, I felt like I was being grounded. Out for meals then straight back to my room. Seamus Finnigan had taken to spying on me whenever he got the chance. He was always just outside the guest house, watching me like a creepy villain. Whenever I thought he would speak to me, his jaw would snap shut like a vice and his legs would carry him away faster than a deer during hunting season.

So, imagine my surprise when a month later, that same boy burst into my room early in the morning screaming for me to wake up. "We're going to Diagon Alley today. Get dressed!" he shouted before hustling back out the door. Had my door not been hanging open, I would have thought I'd imagined him coming in. But then, where in my imagination did a _Die-Gun_ come from?

Mrs. Finnegan ushered us into a fireplace with a handful of green powder. Then the next moment, I felt like I was being hugged tighter than I've ever been. The Floo travel AGAIN. My vision crossed, I was dizzy, and I was suddenly in an…Amish market? It looked like an Outlet shopping center and everyone was dressed funny, but no one wore bonnets. "Come along Mary," Mrs. Finnegan said with a firm hand on my back to push me along, "We'll need to stop at Gringotts and get you a little spending money."

There was so much to do, so much to buy. I was fitted for witch robes and got a witch hat and a few witch textbooks. I'd groaned at the thought of having to read my textbooks. I was a terribly slow reader so English was my worst class even though it was my favorite subject. I loved to read but I took too long picturing each word in my head. I liked the way words could create movies in my mind. But when I got picked on in class to read out loud, some of the other kids made fun of me. They said I sounded _retarded_. That was before I got sent to the remedial class.

Next it was time to get a wand. The inside of the store was far less impressive than I would have thought a wand shop to be. It was dusty and creaky and cramped. There was so much more room behind the old desk. Shelves and shelves and boxes upon boxes of what had to all be wands. A library of them! Mrs. Finnigan walked us in and rang the little bell on the front desk.

"How do you think he knows which to give us?" I asked Seamus but he seemed just as lost on the subject as me.

"But Mum says he's the best. Ollivander's is a family shop. Passed down generations and such. He's really old though. Even gave my mum her first wand when she was a girl."

An old codger came rolling in on a wheeled ladder moments later. "Sorry to keep you waiting," he smiled. "Just had to sort out the mess that Longbottom child made. Who am I helping today?"

Mrs. Finnigan grabbed Seamus and pushed him forward. "This one first. Seamus Finnigan."

Ollivander climbed down and walked around to examine Seamus. His arm length, his face, his wrist, he even asked him to open his mouth. "I think I have just the one. Want to bet I get this one on the first try?" he laughed and ducked behind another shelf. He emerged seconds later with a thin brown box. Seamus pulled the wand from it. It looked harmless. Like a polished stick. But when Seamus gave it a flick, it was almost like a sparkler the way fireworks came shot out and fizzled away. "Sized you up right didn't I, boy," Ollivander smirked.

I wasn't so lucky. I tried wand after wand and the reactions ranged from terrible to empty. I would wave and nothing. I would wave and get blasted across the room. Mr. Ollivander was nice enough to get me a couple band-aids and we tried again. He approached me with a bit of a mad look in his large blue eyes and dusty velvet box in his hands. "I tried this very same one with your mother. It seemed like she would be fit for it but it rejected her. It rejects anyone that wields it but something in me feels that you should have it."

"But what if it rejects me too, sir?" I was nervous about picking up another wand. His shop was a mess because of me.

He opened the box and inside lay a rather plain looking wand. A bit of a let down after all that build up. The box it was in was better looking. The handle curved nicely but it's overall look was ordinary. Less attractive than the other wands she had tried. Then again, maybe it did suit her. "My grandfather traveled the world looking for the ingredients to the perfect wand. This was what he came up with. But it isn't balanced at all. Highly rigid and unstable and while it is perfect in its state, only magic truly profound can master it. Go on..."

When I grasped the handle I flinched, waiting for something bad to happen. Nothing did. Instead I received a warm, almost burning feeling in my palm.

"Give it a wave."

I was nervous again. I reached out at arm's length and flicked it. Sparks flew out the other end, also ordinary. Why did I expect fireworks? Blazing fire? The old man was a lot of hype for nothing. But the way he smiled at me let me know this was the one. This was my wand. And even though it didn't look nothing much, it felt right. "The cores are all a carefully blended collaboration of chimera scales, dragon breath, baslkisk skin, boomslang venom, acrumantula web, fairy wings, crystalized veela blood, thunderbird feather, and a single strand of dried unicorn vein soaked in pheonix tears.

I didn't know what any of that meant but he seemed really excited about it so I nodded and smiled. He seemed like a nice enough old man. I thought maybe he might know what it's like to get picked on so I didn't want to make him feel weird about his passion. Even if his passion was devil sticks. "Thank you for giving me your Grandpa's project. I'll take good care of it, sir."

Ollivander simply smiled and gave me a pat on the head. "See that you do, Mary Ellen McGowen-Smith."

Well when he said my name like that, I sounded like John Jacob Jingleheimerschmidt.


	9. Chapter 9: Dean Thomas

" _Cerberus? Why are you badgering me about one of your relations? Heh, bugger off Dog-face."_

 _\- Pansy Parkinson_

Chapter 9: Dean Thomas

I was rattled. That's the word for it. RATTLED. I mean I'd already teleported through fireplaces and had powdered Flu splashed all over me as a means of transportation. I don't know why a witch would think to powder a disease, but I suppose that's a specific brand of devil sorcery I will learn in school. No, I'm rattled because Mrs. Finnegan just pushed me through a wall. A wall. THROUGH a wall. I came out on the other end. It wasn't some prank to get me to ram a cart of expensive looking heathen goods and my new pet owl into a brick pillar. Which was good. I didn't care for my stuff but I kind of liked my new bird…

"Come here dear." Mrs. Finnegan shook me out of my stupor to give me one of her awkward one-armed bear hugs- as if using two arms was reserved for relatives that aren't ticking time bombs. "Now you just stick with Seamus. He'll watch after you until you get sorted."

"Yes, ma'am."

She nudged me toward the train- the Hogwarts Express train, and I climbed on after Seamus. He was grinning from ear to ear. "I can't believe we're finally off." He waved goodbye to his mother from the open entryway. "I'm my own man now."

"Your own man?"

His brow furrowed at me. "We're literally leaving the nest. We're off to become independent men-err and women. No annoying parents to coddle us and tell us what to do." Seamus grabbed my wrist and pulled me the rest of the way into the train car, still selling me on the Hogwarts experience. "I mean sure there are professors there that sort of tell you what to do, but they're not your parents."

I was confused as to how that made things any better, but then I thought of my own parents and it put things into perspective some. "I don't know. Your parents don't seem so bad-"

"Do you reckon I'll be becoming any kind of man- REAL MAN- with my mum always chasing after me?" He scoffed, stopping in our progression down the narrow car with a pointed look in my direction. "Offering me sweets and hugs and practically wiping my backside for me? May as well cut my jewels off now." He looked so serious I just nodded in agreement. That seemed to be enough as he was tugging me along again, peeking from booth to booth. "My dad told me leaving off to Hogwarts is just the thing a boy needs to become a man. Independence." Finally, Seamus seemed to find a booth he was okay with and pulled back the door.

Inside were other kids that looked our age, one boy and one girl. They seemed to be ignoring each other. Her face was buried in a book with moving pictures on the cover. A man with a golden mane and a trident in hand standing on the edge of a cliff with a woman in a red dress held tightly to his chest. They looked dangerously close to possibly tipping over the edge, but I suppose that might be on purpose to make the woman cling tighter to him. Mama always said men could be crafty that way and that it was always important to remain alert. She did say it was also important for women to be equally as cunning but just patted me on the head after. _"You just focus on staying alert. You'll have a hard-enough time as it is."_

"Hello," Seamus greeted, taking a seat across from the boy closest to the window. "I'm Seamus. Seamus Finnegan." He extended his hand out firmly and the boy returned the handshake, shy but with equal vigor.

"Dean Thomas."

I took a seat next to Dean, catching Seamus' eye as he tipped his head suggestively to the girl sitting across from me. I squared my shoulders and tried my best to imitate Seamus' enthusiasm. "Hey-um, Hello!" I squeaked. "I'm Mary."

The book slowly lowered to reveal squinted aluminum foil eyes. Her eyes seemed bright even though everything else about her looked washed out. She was blonde, but not in the same warm and bouncy way Jubilee was blonde. Her skin even almost looked like it could have been gray. Like at my great-grandma's funeral. When I walked with mama to the front of the room for the viewing, she looked gray. It was my first time meeting her though, so I couldn't tell if she was always that color. I guess people are just grey sometimes.

Instead of shaking my hand back, she got up out of her seat, spared us all one last glance before walking out of the booth. " _I'm Mary_? Just _Mary_?" Seamus shook his head at me. "Last names are important in a greeting you know? They tell you who and who not to hang out with."

Your last name? That sounded really silly. "How do you know what kind of person someone is based on their last name?"

Seamus shrugged. "You don't always know I guess. But when you hear specific ones you definitely KNOW, you know?"

I glanced at the other boy- Dean Thomas, but he just shrugged. "Well what does Gregory say about me?"

"Nothin much but that isn't your last name anyway."

That's right. I was English. "Smith. Smith's a real common last name."

"Not around here it ain't. Maybe in that American muggle place you come from-"

"Muggle?" Dean finally spoke up.

"Non-magic folk. Are you a muggle-born?"

"Um, I don't know? My mom is a…muggle? But my father wasn't."

"So you're a halfblood then," Seamus smiled. "What's your dad's name? I think my dad works with a Thomas."

"Oh," Dean looked around awkwardly. "I didn't really know my dad."

It was quiet for a few long moments. Seamus seemed to make the same face my father made when Mama's baby died back when I was seven. Like he just didn't know what to say or what to do. "My dad's dead," I piped up to lighten the mood, but I suppose that was an odd way to do it. "My mom too. I used to think maybe I'd run into them one day. Like they'd just come back looking for me. I had all sorts of ideas about what kind of people they were. I didn't think any of _this,_ but I guess it's better than thinking they left me in a dumpster- I never did find out why I ended up in Mississippi…" I shrugged and kept on despite the weird faces they were making. "My point is, I never knew my parents and I found out they were magic, and they had a lot of money, and people seem to think they were pretty nice, and they're dead. Maybe your dad is just some important rich guy that couldn't come back for you because he's dead. Maybe he just really loves you but, you know, he's dead-"

"Don't pay her any attention," Seamus quickly cut in. "She's just a distant cousin. Doesn't really have any manners."

Dean looked back and forth between the two of us, his blank look slowly morphing into a small smile. "It's alright." Then he faced me fully. "So, you're American?"

"Well kinda. You see I was raised there but seeing as my dead parents are English, I'm thinkin' that makes me English too."

Seamus scoffed. "Not with that funny accent you're not."

"Yer- YOU ARE the one with the funny accent!"

Dean was outright laughing now. He extended a hand to me "Nice to meet you Mary."

I shook his hand back. Firm grip. Papa used to say always keep a firm handshake. "Nice to meet you Dean Thomas."

The train ride continued for hours. Dean was nice enough to switch seats with me so I could see out the window. When the snack trolley came along, Seamus helped me figure out how much money was right to pay for what I wanted, then helped himself and Dean to a bit more of it as a fee for his services. He was scamming me, I knew it, but I think it was fine. We were having fun and I wouldn't know what witch things to buy anyway. It took us a while though. Some kid had tried to buy the entire cart of candy. I guess there were a lot of rich people that go here? Seamus showed me and Dean what snacks to get and told us about all the cool things I could buy during the Christmas break in Hogs… I don't remember the name.

I didn't eat the chocolate frogs because they jumped around and I like my food good and dead. Dean seemed to think they were cool though. I thought Dean was cool. He was nice to me and helped when the chocolate frog jumped into my hair.

Seamus told us about the rumor going around. About a Kid named Harry Potter being in our class and how he survived a curse from You-Know-Who. It took a little while for him to explain to me because I Didn't-Know-Who and he wouldn't say his name and said I didn't need to either. Wouldn't even tell me which curse he survived. Was it Damn? Fuck? Shit? I can say these in my head but it's a good thing Mama never allowed me to say them out loud. They're all muggles so it was okay but I'm magic. I could really hurt someone.

The boat ride after was pretty cool. Everyone else got into these carriages being pulled by these funny looking horses while a really really REALLY _REALLY_ big man shouted for all the first years to get on the boats. Once we got to the big castle where I now go to school because I'm a princess and not stupid Mere-cat face Jubilee, they made us wait in a hall outside a room where we could hear a lot of noise. And then the doors opened.

Just when I thought I couldn't be shocked at anything else, I was shocked by something else. Candles floated, you could see the starry sky through the roof. And ghosts- GHOSTS! They flew by screaming. One hovered just low enough to tip his head to us like a hat in greeting. This was Satan's paradise. There was no going back after this. I had truly thrown my soul to the devil. "Seamus," I whispered, grabbing his arm. "Look at the roof! Isn't it beautiful?"

"Erm, Hi." That wasn't Seamus. I looked up to see a head of bright orange hair. I don't think I'd ever seen hair his color before. It looked like fire. "Are you okay?"

I heard his voice, and another voice. The boy before me and a deep baritone, layered over each other as if they were one in the same. I had the surreal light feeling of my visions but nothing about where we are or this moment had changed. _"Are you okay?"_

Instead of replying, I slowly backed away from him. Slowly. I weaved between the other students. My nerves on edge after that new experience. I think maybe I was becoming frightened. When I spotted Seamus and Dean, I immediately latched onto Seamus' arm but he yanked it away, looking around frantically. "Stop being weird. People might see."

In the bobble on my wrist was a small glow that I noticed soon disappeared- like the happiness and enthusiasm I had experienced with them on the train ride here. Dean seemed to be able to tell I was uneasy. He subtly made room for me to fit in the gap between the two boys, bumping his arm into mine I think on purpose. It made me feel better.

The woman from my Hogwarts letter, MC-Gone-A-Gal, explained to us the sorting process, like being assigned a club house, only to sleep and study in. My anxiety crept back again. "Seamus, what if we end up in different homes?"

"Houses- and for the better. Remember. Independence."

And then Seamus was called. "Gryffindor!" The hat bellowed quickly. Seamus sported a proud grin as he sauntered off to a table of applauding older children. Gray face was called up too. So her name was Daphne Greengrass. She got sorted into the house Seamus said to pray I don't end up in. _"Not that I think you're Ravenclaw material or anything."_ I didn't know what that meant so I guessed not.

Mr. Fire was a Gryffindor too. And he sat with a bunch of other orange tops. Together they looked like a fireplace. "Mary Smith."

It was my turn. I tried to subtly shake off the crumbs from the treats we ate on the train, the thought only occurring to me just now. "Yes, ma'am." I walked up and nervously took a seat on the stool.

The hat had barely touched me, never even fully seated on my head before- "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Eyes round, I looked over to Seamus who just shrugged back. I slowly slipped off of the stool. Dean clapped for me, then pointed to the table beside the Gryffindor one where unfamiliar faces clapped and smiled. It felt like auto-pilot. Like I walked, but I didn't really feel _in the moment_. An older kid in my new house noticed this and slid down to make space for me. "Have a seat here, Mary." I did as I was told.

"Thank you," I whispered, still looking to make eye contact with Seamus. His attention was already elsewhere. I felt like a dingy untied from the dock. Floating away on my own. I hardly heard him introduce himself.

"Dean Thomas," Ms. Miggonal announced next. I whipped around in my seat. Dean was really nice and maybe he'd be in the same club as me?

The hat sat on his head for what seemed like a long time compared to me and then, "Gryffindor!" and then my heart sunk to my feet.

I watched Dean walk over and join Seamus with a wide grin. He received various claps on the back and settled down. What was I going to do? I just met my new distant cousin Seamus. Just had a conversation with him for the first time today! I just met another person that didn't know nothing about me being weird or destroying homes and who could care two-hoots about my occasional possession by the Devil- because weren't we all agents of the Devil now anyway? And now it was all gone. From what Seamus says, we'd have to sleep in different clubs and usually club members hung out with their own club members. What was I going to do? "Cheer up." Just then, I received a bump from beside me. The older boy. "Hufflepuff is a really nice place. You'll make friends fast."

"Thank you-erm…"

"Cedric Diggory," he repeated with the same welcoming smile he'd given me before. "And from now on, you're with me, kid." This was strange. Why was he talking to me? Did someone dare him to try and kiss me? I hope not. Not that I minded his bushy brows or chapped lips but I think I would mind kissing in general. Especially when someone is doing it on a bet.

"Thank you, Cedric. It's nice to meet you." He gave my shoulder a squeeze before turning back to another boy beside him.

I glanced over at the Gryffindor table again, only this time, my eyes met Dean's immediately. He was looking over here. With a small smile, he waved. I felt lighter. My smile was a whole lot bigger as I jerked my hand up to wave back. I think I just made my first real friend!

(Lidia: Thank you to everyone bothering to read. The first 8 chapters were already written, and their short so quick updates were easy.

Guest(review): That's the point. Mary has ADD. The chapter names are based on Mary's points of focus. Sometimes they're important things. Sometimes they're completely inane and meaningless things. I plan on playing with the importance of chapter titles based on the character's growth over her next seven years at Hogwarts. Thank you for being my first story review!)


	10. Chapter 10: The English Are Blonde

" _The way we see a Cerberus, and the view from a soul in the beyond are different. We do see a vicious creature, but they say if you were to somehow take a peak behind the veil, you'd have the eye. And then you'd see just how awesomely ferocious they really are. What's the eye? Well, I'm not exactly sure…"_

 _-Nymphadora Tonks_

Chapter 10: The English Are Blonde

We stumbled along behind a boy who's name I didn't catch. I remember him saying he was a Perfect? Apparently, Perfects were two…perfect…older kids they put in charge of everyone else in our club.

I almost got left behind on the moving staircase because I wasn't paying attention. My eyes followed after Seamus and Dean as they and the rest of Gryffindor headed up a different set of stairs. We headed down. "Careful," Perfect boy warned grabbing my sleeve to steady me after my last-minute hop onto the moving staircase. "Don't die on me already." He laughed a little like it was a joke but then I took my first real look down. There was nothing. Nothing down there but blackness. "C'mon. Hurry it up."

I resigned myself to follow after him, suddenly more alert to the potential for death surrounding me. "Yes, sir." He seemed to smile even wider as we continued. Down, down, down, we went, until we reached the school kitchens. Inside, several little creatures with large pointed ears carried used plates and trash bags this way and that. I wasn't sure what they were but I'd seen them before at the magic government building. They spared us a look and brief greeting before resuming their work. So they're like the school janitors? "Hi," I waved, not sure if they even heard me.

We stopped at a pile of barrels, and Mr. Perfect gave us a speech. Which barrel opened up to the common room. Which barrels were booby trapped. How to open the door and to never ever EVER share any of this information with ANYONE that wasn't a Hufflepuff. This I could keep focused on. There was something starting to feel kind of cool about being in a club. A girl next to me, blonde- are they ALL blonde?- Blonde hair plaited down her back. She gave me a nervous look and smiled, and I smiled back. "Understood?" Mr. Perfect finished. We all nodded and proceeded to crawl in through the barrel door.

The Living-…The Common room looked really neat. There were all sorts of black and yellow chairs and sofas and so many plants! There were plants hanging from the low ceiling and plants resting on tables. You could even see tall grass and flowers outside the round cloud shaped windows. I don't know what the other clubs looked like, but I think ours was the coolest. "Whoa."

"No time for resting yet. This way." There was a small door further hidden by very tall plants that pealed back on their own to reveal it. Vines stuck to the door looked alive. Like they pulsed. We were crawling inside this set of doors now into the dark. Candles lit the walls and we continued forward. My eyes adjusted quickly. I could almost make out several other doors in the dark corners as we kept walking. One girl sneezed, and it set off a chain reaction of gasps and then following giggles. Finally, another door opened, a little brighter this time but still very dark. Candles were everywhere. A bunch of what I think were students stood candles in hand, cloaked in golden robes and black masks. Slanted eye holes and carved snouts looked like our badger mascot. Oh! Club uniforms!

"Go on," he ushered us into the middle of the large circle before they closed us in. You almost couldn't see where we'd entered. "Welcome," They all greeted at once. Another girl with- oh geez- blonde pigtails gripped my sleeve on reflex. I'm glad I wasn't the only one becoming freaked out. I mean, even for witches this must be weird right? Were we here to have a seance? Were we going to be communicating with the devil? Is this how we got our magic?

I found myself remembering things I shouldn't. Something uncomfortable. _"The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning!"_ My fingertips vibrated. _"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires!"_ NO! I shook my head until the memories of that night left me. Until I was almost dizzy. I couldn't turn my new school upside down. They'd kick me out for sure then it was a one-way ticket back to Mississippi. Slowly the humming pain faded away. It was my first time I had been able to do that. Just will it away once things got started.

A heavier woman, clearly an adult, stepped into the circle with us. "Hello children, she smiled, removing her mask. My name is Professor Pamona Sprout and I am your Head of House as well as your Herbology professor." I pretended to know what all of that meant. The candle light cast her face in dark shadows. If I could picture what the witch from Hansel and Gretel looked like, she would be it. "I would like to welcome you all to your Induction Ceremony." The candles seemed to flicker for dramatic affect.

"I've never heard of anything like this," one boy piped up- BLONDE BOY. With the exception of myself and one other girl, they were all blonde. Were most English people blonde?

"And if you weren't sorted into Hufflepuff, you never would have. Nothing that happens in Hufflepuff House, leaves Hufflepuff House." I was suddenly excited again. Our club was special? A secret club? "None of you are here by accident, by mistake, because you're ' _the rest_ '. Every child that walks through those barrel doors make it here by design." Ms. Sprout almost floated toward us, incredibly light on her feet. She tapped her wand down in the center of the circle. The ground beneath cracked and reformed, spiraling upward into a statue of roots and soil until it formed what looked like a birdbath almost. Water- no it was yellow- something yellow bled from the soil into the bath, My face scrunched up in disgust when I saw a small cup bob to the surface.

It looked like pee. To be in the club we had to drink pee. My eyes looked around at all the hooded students in masks. Yeah, if I drank pee I would keep it a secret too.

Ms. Sprout was still talking. "The Slytherin is cunning, sly, ambitious. But their fatal flaw…"

"Prejudice. Disloyalty," came a chorus from the rest of the room.

"The Gryffindor is brave, courageous, and bold. But their fatal flaw?" She was louder now, as if speaking to the room.

"Arrogant. Foolish." I hoped we weren't supposed to know the answers to these questions. I moved my lips and pretended to speak just incase we were being graded on participation.

"The Ravenclaw is sharp, intelligent, and quick witted."

"And anti-social. And apathetic."

"But Hufflepuff! A Hufflepuff is the most diverse wizard of them all. Where a Slytherin is cunning, a Hufflepuff is discerning. Where a Gryffindor is brave, a Hufflepuff is dedicated. Where a Ravenclaw is sharp, a Hufflepuff is hardworking. We are patient, kind, loyal, fair, accepting and _unafraid_ of toil. Our founder Helga Hufflepuff sought to create a House that not only excelled in its studies, but went on to serve the betterment of the wizarding world. Not for self-recognition but to maintain the balance of magic. Joining the House of Hufflepuff means leaving your personal interests behind and joining the collective of badgers to serve a higher purpose."

"God?" I blurted out by mistake.

Ms. Sprout chuckled at me and lightly patted my head. "Not God. Magic. You are here to serve magic itself." She reached her hand into the bath, grasping the cup and holding it to my lips. "Drink." I knew an order when I heard one. I hesitated a moment, before pinching my nose and drinking the pee down. I tried swallowing too fast and it made my throat hurt but not from the taste. My gulp was too large and so I gagged. Now I had managed to frighten everyone else down the line who were next.

"It's not bad guys," I assured them. "It doesn't taste like pee at all. It tastes like water and like, the skins on fruit? But just the skins, you know?" The girl that had grabbed my sleeve before, willingly took her cup and drank it down. Her face almost looked relieved as she smiled and nodded to everyone else.

"Every Hufflepuff drinks from the Earth on their first day. This is what will make you strong. You see, a Hufflepuff's fatal flaw is naivety. To overcome this, we will build you all up over the years. But first we must break you down."

(Lidia: I changed the direction I planned to take with Salazaar, Godric, and Rowena. The only founder I plan to introduce frequently is Helga and so I have updated the character list on . won't notice.

Ted: Thank you! I wanted to make sure I gave decent enough background for Mary before I introduced her to Hogwarts. As of right now it's whenever I get a chance with a hard limit on not going over two weeks. I keep the chapters fairly short to make sure I can steadily produce content.)


	11. Ch 11: I Won't Be Kissing Cedric Diggory

" _The eye?...The information you are looking for resides in the restricted where you are not welcomed nor allowed, girl. Now leave my library!"_

 _-Madame Irma Pince_

Chapter 11: I Won't Be Kissing Cedric Diggory

Hannah Abbott

Susan Bones

Justin Finch-Fletchley

Meagan Jones

Ernest Macmillan

Leanne Merrymount

Mary McGowen-Smith

Zacharias Smith

These were my housemates- NOT club members- who's names we were all forced to memorize. Professor Sprout said housemate bonding was very important.

But then they all went up to their dorms and I, deemed unfit to share a room with the other girls, was put on a cot in Professor Sprout's room. She snores.

It's been a month since I've been here at my new school and things were…different, than what I expected they would be. We took most of our classes with Ravenclaw but when Gryffindor had Transfiguration, Herbology, and Divination with us, Dean would sit with me. _He_ sat next to _me_. Seamus would come too. They had become friends and I guess my only friend and my only family being friends wasn't so bad. The only thing is it seemed Seamus didn't like school very much. Or he was like me and just couldn't pay attention because he was always talking during lessons and making things explode by mistake.

I tried really hard in class. I mean, I was no Hermmy Granger- she's the really smart girl in all my Gryffndor classes. Smarter than all those snotty Ravenclaws I think. But I was really paying very close attention. Still, Professor Snape seemed to notice. I don't know how. He kept me after class and offered me witch medicine. It was a bottle of a clear syrup-like potion he said would help me focus. I think he really might be nicer than people think. He reminds me of what I always thought a real witch would look like. Dressed in all black and ill tempered. We even use cauldrons in his class! Still, I didn't want to use the potion. If it's anything like the time Mama gave me Ritalin, then I didn't want it. It helped with my focus for sure, but I couldn't really…think. I couldn't draw anything! I didn't even dream anymore. So, I only pretended to take them long enough for her to think they didn't do me any good and the medicine stopped. I accepted Professor Snape's potion and thanked him because he didn't have to get me anything at all. But I was determined to do this on my own. And if Dean or anyone found out that I needed to take medicine because I wasn't smart enough, they would laugh at me about more than my accent. So I stayed up later. Using the super cool _Lumos_ night light spell, I could read in the dark after Professor Sprout fell asleep.

Every day, I tried hard to pay attention to all my lessons. It was definitely easier than math class- paying attention I mean- but sometimes I would catch myself thinking about home. About how jealous they would be if they found out I was here learning to turn mice into teacups. Who would need that stupid broken tea set if I could grab a rat out of the wheat field and- And then I would snap myself back and dig my nose into my book.

Every day, after class, the Hufflepuff first years would all get together and Professor Sprout would show us some new weird plant or a new spell and we couldn't leave until we got it right, We were forced to do our homework together in one of those little rooms down that hall our _prefect_ led us down our first day. I didn't want to seem like I couldn't keep up. Ernie and Hannah caught onto things pretty quick. Ernie was especially kind. He helped me with any questions I had about potions things or witch things. He, Justin, and Hannah seemed to get along really well. Not that we didn't all get along. They were all pretty nice. I got along with the boys just as well as any of the girls did. But the girls all seemed so…close. They giggled and had inside jokes. They all slept in the same room. I slept with Professor Sprout.

Everyone was kind. Everyone was helpful. Everyone got along.

And then _it_ happened. The day we were assigned a Guide. I learned that day the reason why Cedric Diggory seemed to follow me around. He was constantly mother-henning me. Everything from fixing my tie, mending my cloak, and seeming to be around to catch me every time I almost hurt myself. He even appeared with an umbrella the day Dean, Seamus, and I were out playing tag by the lake. I hadn't really noticed how he was always around until Dean pointed it out. Which prompted Seamus to begin teasing me about my " _new boyfriend"_.

Later after lessons Cedric plucked my out of the Hufflepuff common room. The first years usually stood in a group tucked in a corner and out of the way until one of the prefects escorted us to our private lesson room, but that day there was only Cedric waiting for me. "Took you long enough. Where were you?"

I was nervous at being chastised. Did I miss our lesson? They gave us an hour break and so I decided to spend it with Dean in the Charms hallway playing Slap Jack. He had a deck of cards from home and he was really good. Good in the sense that he slapped his hand down so hard it made me hesitate to go for it for fear that the back of my hand would end up red. But I wouldn't say this to him because it was nice having a friend to play card games with.

Cedric pulled me out of the Common room and dragged me along until we reached an empty classroom. "Sit." I sat.

"Did I…Did I do something wrong?"

"Yes." Then he shook his head. "No. Just, be quiet." He ran a hand through his hair in what seemed like frustration until he finally sighed and smiled at me. His smile didn't reach his eyes. He did not look like he liked me very much. "I'm your Guide." I wanted to ask what he meant but he told me not to talk. He already looked annoyed with me. I think he is tired of fixing my tie. "Every seven years, Helga Hufflepuff chooses one first year student to lead the Clan. One young Boar or Sow is groomed to carry out tasks for the purpose of maintaining the balance between light and dark magic." Cedric sat down at the table beside me. I knew who Helga Hufflepuff was, but she was dead. Did I hear wrong? Oh no, Mary, were you not paying attention again? "For this purpose, each first year is assigned a guide." Cedric's chest seemed to puff out. "A Hufflepuff that has shown considerable promise in their academics and social skills. Luckily, Professor Sprout assigned me to you."

"Lucky? So you're not upset?"

Cedric's grin waned a bit but didn't fall. "Well…you're not _exactly_ what I expected but that's hardly your fault. They told me about your…condition." I winced at the mention of my outbursts and I looked down at my lap. I sat on my hands again out of habit. "But that doesn't matter. McGowen's are special witches and wizards with strong blood ties to the House of Hufflepuff. They're said to be direct descendants of Helga Hufflepuff herself. And _legitimate_ Smiths have produced some of the greatest wizards and witches to come out of Europe."

"But Zacharias said-"

"Zacharias Smith and his relations are a bunch of sniveling lying bastards. Some idiots may believe their rubbish, but I don't." Well that wasn't nice. I mean, if I had to measure anyone as the least friendly, Zach would be it. He always talks over me by mistake while I'm saying things, but my voice can be pretty soft sometimes, so I don't think he does it on purpose. Cedric didn't seem to like him very much which was weird because I don't think Cedric has spoken two words to him. Witches really do take last names serious. "Every seventh year that has had a McGowen in its group of eligibles- which has been quite often until recently with the family being wiped out and all- sorry- a McGowen has always been the one chosen. You are practically guaranteed to be crowned Queen Sow. I just have to make sure you do." Maybe I didn't know what guaranteed meant. It just didn't sound like it fit in that sentence, but I nodded anyway. I think he could tell I was confused. "Are you sure Mary? Are you sure you understand? It's important that you tell me if you don't. The bond between a Guardian and his Seventh is very important. It's based on honesty and trust and commitment."

Where had I heard those words before? In church! The bond in a marriage is more than love. It's based on honesty, trust, and commitment. My parents didn't seem to have any of those, but they were married just the same. "Like a marriage?" I tested, but regretted when Cedric's face grew so pink, it reached his ears.

"No! I mean- not like that!" He seemed to be thinking. His unibrow folded on itself when he frowned. I think his unibrow was pretty cool. It looked the same as the woman's on the poster in our art class. Frida Kahlo. I remembered because I really like our weekly art class. "It's different. Like a friendship. But best friends. Closer than anyone else in the world. Closer than married people even."

I nodded but he stared at me. "I understand. Really. My parents- er, my fake parents? They weren't so close. But I'd like to be friends. Dean's my friend too. I think he might even like me better than he does Seamus but I can't tell sometimes because they're boys and-"

"Please, Mary, we don't have a lot of time." He seemed happier though. "It's good that you're making friends. Very good, in fact, as it's one of your tasks. We'll discuss that later. Right now I need you to understand the relationship that you and I need to have. I need to be your best friend, your very best friend, for this to work. We have to accept each other, because tomorrow night, we're going to be making a very sacred vow to one another. An **unbreakable** one."

Vows. He said it wasn't like a marriage, but it really did sound like one. But I've never had a best friend before so maybe having a best friend was like having a husband. But the good kind like in the movies where they chase after taxis and run in airports and yell things like "It was you! It was always you!" before kissing each other.

It was the kind of kissing that made me think I might want to try it one day.

It was the kind of kissing I found Mama doing with not her husband.

I looked back at Cedric's chapped lips and thought, maybe he can't help that. But maybe I didn't want to be kissing him either. I'm already going to hell, so, I don't think being a little judgmental would hurt any at this point.

"If it means we'll be best friends, I'd be happy to make the Unbreakable kind of vow with you Cedric. As long as we don't have to kiss'r nothin'."

Cedric looked worried but I was proud of myself. I was studying. I was remembering to turn in homework. I was remembering to DO homework. I was WANTING to remember and WANTING to do homework. And now I was making all kinds of friends! Older boys wanted to be my friend. Boys my age wanted to be my friend. Mama said the kind of girl that had a lot of boy friends was a tramp but what did she know? She didn't have any friends either.

And when I returned to the Hufflepuff common room, it was only to find that I went from having ten friends, to two.

(Lidia- I don't have much by way of reviews but I can see the views so thank you to everyone that has continued to read up until now! I know it isn't always easy or interesting having to sit through OC character building before you get to meet characters you're actually familiar with. The fact that there are 8 Hufflepuff first years will be explained in "I Still Won't Be Kissing Cedric Diggory" or I Won't Be Kissing Cedric Diggory Part 2.

Ted: Yes, I plan on taking her through every book so there will be things involving the Golden Trio that Mary will have a chance to view or possibly participate in. But the majority of what I want to focus on surround Mary and her involvement in Hufflepuff House. I have the story posted on the HPF site too but chapters go through being validated so I won't post additional here until the same chapter posts officially there. Thank you for the reviews! I am happy you like the character :) )


	12. Ch12: I Still Won't Be Kissing Cedric Di

" _Only a powerful Seer like myself can handle the burden of the eye. Seeing past the veil would drive any ordinary witch to an early grave. But when you are like me, your third eye is wide open, your chakra is strong, and the link to the paranormal necessary already exists. For a creature too weak to bear it, having their third eye pried open, well, it would drive them mad. Don't go tempting fate dear. You're either born with it, or you aren't."_

 _-Sybill Trelawney_

Chapter 12: I'm Still Not Kissing Cedric Diggory

In our small study room, Professor Sprout, the first years, and the third years met to exchange our vows. We first years were given special Hufflepuff ceremony robes and Badger masks for the occasion. We were really doing a lot just to make a magic promise to always be best friends. I was made to hold hands with Cedric, his large ones almost swallowing my own, and speak some words I had to memorize just a few moments before. They stressed it was very important I get it right the first time. Anyway, blah blah I said some things, Cedric said some things, and Professor waved her wand over our joined hands. Is this what it felt like to have a magical best friend? The pulse in my wrist seemed to match Cedric's. It felt…nice. Like we were…really close.

Closer than me and Dean.

Everyone had to do it, this unbreakable vow. The older kids seemed really serious about it but the rest of us, well, we just did it. I didn't think any of us thought we had a choice about it. Hannah Abbott almost seemed to be having a panic attack. She stuttered through her vow.

This all seemed really like a wedding so I could understand her being nervous. In America, child brides are illegal I think. Maybe not in England? Didn't matter.

I still wasn't kissing Cedric. Not even if they said I had too.

That's when things began to change.

"Ernie," I whispered. The boy in question peered up at me through his fringe. "Which one of these," I asked holding up two similar looking leaves, "is a Pipli leaf?"

We were in our regular evening-super-secret-not-sure-why-lesson. Ernie looked for a moment like he was going to answer, but then there was a cough and a nasty glare from his Guide, Sarah. She sat beside him filing her magenta claws, turning those ferocious cat eyes on me. Ernie gave me a small shrug before going back to his leaf diagram.

When my eyes met Hannah's, she promptly ducked behind the book she had set up on the table in what I think was an attempt to stop anyone from seeing her paper. I wasn't just being paranoid.

They were purposely avoiding me.

I mean I know when I'm being avoided. After the incident when I was five, everyone in my kindergarten class pretended like I didn't exist. The ones that did pay me any mind, threw sharpened pencils at me.

"This one," Cedric plucked the leaf from my right hand. "They look almost identical to each other but remember, the Pipli leaf is always perfectly symmetrical." Cedric loomed over me, preferring not to sit. He leaned over my head, gangly arms on either side of me, to show me as he folded the leaf in half vertically. All the lines and dents met in perfect symmetry down to the little scratches.

"That's so cool!" I held the leaf up to Leanne. She seemed to like me well enough. "Look! Weren't you having trouble too?"

"I wouldn't say that," She blurted out immediately before mumbling "…out loud." But she still smiled at me and folded her leaf in half too, awing at how every detail seemed to match up perfectly.

Leanne's Guide wasn't so thrilled by it. "Geez, what are we a bunch of Saps?" Cedric would later explain to me how Sap was what you called a pre-school-entry child learner, that doubled as an insult for older kids that seemed a little slow on the uptake. "Diggory, control your Muggleborn. This isn't a field trip you know and she's distracting Leanne."

Justin seemed to flinch slightly at the Muggleborn comment but otherwise remained uninvolved. He was a muggleborn, being born magic while having regular parents. I thought that was kind of cool. That even if I didn't have super rich dead devil-worshipping parents, there was a chance I could have been born magic anyway. I wished briefly that Jackie had been born with magic but we didn't part on good terms exactly. I had asked Justin once how his parents felt about him coming to Voodoo school, but he said they weren't very religious. So, I suppose I wouldn't have anyone to talk to about the occasional conflicts I had personally about my faith and what I was born, and where I was headed. Dean Thomas' mom was a Christian he said, but they mostly just went to Church on Easter and he didn't really see why you couldn't be a witch and a Christian.

I didn't want to laugh at him because I didn't think he was joking. I didn't want to tell him he was wrong because even though I had a pretty good idea that we were all hellbound, we had yet to cut open a goat or sacrifice any newborns. So, I could be wrong.

Not likely. But I could be.

The thing is, most of the group still spoke to each other. Whispering to one another. But no one was talking to _me_. No one was talking to Leanne either but her guide seemed to be blocking her off from the rest of us. Any time she so much as looked at anyone else, Maxwell Creevy, a short bulky third year boy, would physically grabbed her by the head and put her nose back in a book.

"This is a group lesson," I interjected. I don't know where sudden bravery came from. Maybe Justin's flinch, maybe Leanne's smile, or maybe I was just upset that it seemed like all my friends didn't want to be my friends anymore. "We were just fine before any of you third-years came along! Why can't we help each other? Hufflepuff are kind, right? Hufflepuff are-" I was rising out of my seat when Cedric clapped a hand on my shoulder and pushed me back into it.

"You've been a Hufflepuff for all of two seconds. You don't know what Hufflepuff are. You don't know what it takes to be Hufflepuff," Catwoman sneered. Then she turned her sharp gaze on Cedric. "My money's on Diggory's egg cracking first. I reckon she'll be this year's sacrifice. Go off and get topped by the Whomping Willow or some shite."

Cedric folded his arms with a smirk. "You're just upset that _you_ wanted the McGowen and I got to her first. And now you're stuck with your one-trick pony. A fine chef you're going to be looking after."

Another older boy sniggered at that. Justin's guide had been silent the majority of the study hour with a few utterances of help for Justin here and there. "Oh what are you laughing at? Mind your muggleborn. We all remember when the last time one of _those_ was crowned. Oh, that's right. NEVER." I was a bit confused. I thought the staple of being a Hufflepuff was kindness. This girl was-was-was nasty. "Be proud of your precious McGowen all you like, Unibrow. It's a dud. She's defective. Most little Trelawney jr'll be good for is Carnival parlor tricks and kissing Ernest here's feet. And that's if she doesn't top herself first. The unstable creature." The rant seemed to do it. Sarah had leaned back into her seat, quite proud of herself.

I didn't fully understand the exchange. I'd only heard of drinks getting topped off but it didn't make sense. And I knew she was calling me stupid. She was definitely calling me stupid. "I'm not defective!"

Sarah's perfectly arched brow raised. "When was the last time you contributed anything to your group lessons? When was the last time you helped Ernest or Hannah with anything?" I grew silent. Everyone was silent. "That's what I thought. I know who my competition is, and it isn't you, Sap. So don't go thinking of slowing my Golden Goose down, eh Humpty Dumpty?" She flipped her hair again and turned her attention to her goose. "You finished squirt?"

Ernie, who had hunched over his scroll in embarrassment, nodded. "Erm, yeah-yes."

"Right then." Her hand waved to the front of the room where Professor Sprout sat, ignoring us. "Professor! Ernie's done his leaf diagram! He's finished first!"

"Hannah has finished too!"

"Susan's almost done!"

"Who gives a flipping broom stick about almost, Ding-bat?"

I could feel the tears swelling in my eyes but a finger reached up to catch one before it hit my paper-parchment- WHATEVER. "Careful, Mary," Cedric cooed. "Don't let them see you weak. By the time we're finished with these arses, they'll be at your beck and call. You're going to make them regret ever calling you a Dud."

I turned my large baggy glassy eyes on chapped-lipped Cedric. "Yes," I smiled. "I will."

But first, my leaf diagram.

After school lessons in the first-year training room were never the same after that. It was tense, silent, and we were always competing to see who could finish their work first. Who could master a spell first. I was always last. Cedric was so patient, but I could tell I was sort of embarrassing him. It made me want to try harder. I wanted him to once, just once, be able to smack his hand on the table and say "Mary's finished! Mary's finished first!" But that never happened.

Our after-class lessons seemed to make regular classes feel easier. It was like everything we were learning always in some way, had to do with class. We used the Pipli leaves in potions and I immediately knew which was which. Dean believed I'd had it right and we were both able to make a beginner's _antiseptic_ solution for cuts and scrapes. Seamus didn't want my help and chose the wrong leaf. The Kettle plant leaf, used as an accelerant in most explosives. See I knew things! I was even learning words like accelerant, and antiseptic! But part of the reason why lessons took me so long, was because of the extra time I needed to look things up and stay on task. Cedric was really good about helping me pay attention. He said he could tell when I was " _drifting away from the dock_ " because he said I made a sort of face.

I hope it wasn't an ugly face.

Seamus! Yes, so Seamus didn't want my help. And so he used a Kettle leaf by mistake and it blew up in his face. I think by now we all know it literally blew up in his face. Professor Snape dipped a vial into _Her_ - _my-knee_ 's cauldron and dripped it onto Seamus' angry red cheek. The skin seemed to pinken and the little trickle of blood stopped. "…Well done Miss…Granger." It seemed like he had a hard time giving compliments. "Five points for Gryffindor for Miss Granger's good work." A quiet round of hoots and yeah's went around the room. "And five points deducted for Mr. Finnegan's dangerous display of stupidity." The cheers stopped. Zacharias chuckled briefly but stopped immediately when Snape swiveled around to see who was laughing. When he couldn't find out who, "Five points from both Hufflepuff and Gryffindor."

I didn't fully understand the point system. There was a House Cup we could win at the end of the year if we tried but Cedric told me not to worry over things like that. Hufflepuff House never wins the House Cup and for the better. It draws unnecessary attention to us. Attention we don't need. None of us needed the distraction.

At weird times, Cedric would ask me about Dean. How our relationship was coming along. "We're friends," I would shrug. "We get along like friends should get along I think." Cedric was also asking me if I'd made any other friends. "I don't know. I don't think I'll need any more right now? I need to focus on being smart."

Cedric would grimace and pat me on the shoulder. "Making friends couldn't hurt, Mary."

Finally, Cedric sat me down in our usual abandoned classroom on the third floor. "Did you hear a howl?" I asked, sure that I'd heard the loudest dog noise just then.

"Focus, Mary." Cedric sat beside me again. "Today we're going to talk about your tasks. What Helga will be looking out for to prove that you deserve to be crowned."

"But isn't Helga-"

"Don't interrupt. Listen. You'll learn all about what Helga is or isn't later." I snapped my mouth shut and nodded. "There are seven things you must complete to prove that you are worthy of being crowned Queen Sow." I wonder what the crown looked like? I wonder which was better, being a princess in a tower or queen in a cellar? I wonder if the other houses have to worry about things like this too and just aren't allowed to talk about it with anyone else the same way we weren't. I found myself wanting to tell Dean sometimes but something in my head told me not to. That now wasn't the right time for that. "You have to prove that you are a true Hufflepuff by completing seven Acts. Hardworking, Fair, Patient, Kind, Loyal, Accepting, and Unafraid of Toil. You must prove that you are all of these things in order to win over your other housemates."

"But how do I do that?" I asked, confused on how I could prove that I was kind. Aren't you just…kind? If I do something to prove it, for the purpose of proving it, is that true kindness? I wonder if being crowned queen means I'm queen of all of Hogwarts, or just the Hufflepuff? Does each house have their own queen? Or King? I bet Dean would be the King of Gryffindor. He's super kind and sort of smart and when you wave at him, he actually waves back instead of looking at you like you have a second head like Hermione Granger did to me in Transfiguration. That is, I thought she waved at me, but she was actually waving at Harry Pottery The-Boy-Who's-Alive and the other redhead boy I've been avoiding since the sorting hat ceremony and so when I waved back she just made this kind of face that made me realize what was really happening and it was just sort of awkward and who needs her as a friend. You, know?

"I'm not sure exactly," Cedric admitted, "But I'll be here to help you every step of the way while we figure out for you, how best to go about that. There are only a few things right now that we do know for sure we can control. One, you have to make it a point to study really hard. No one daft ever makes-"

"Daft?"

Cedric blushed a bit. "You know, stupid? No one with poor marks is ever crowned." There I was sitting on my hands again. Cedric could tell immediately that I was doubting myself. "You're not stupid, Mary." Well I sure say an awful lot that I'm not, but I have been last in every private lesson we've had. If I didn't stay up all night and wake up with the impressions from the pages of my Charms book pressed into my face, I'd hardly be able to keep up with the rest of the class. One day after a bath, when I returned to my room with Professor Sprout, I found a palm sized dictionary on my pillow. Professor denied it was from her, but I don't know who else would have left it for me.

"What else can we control?" I asked, steeling my resolve.

"Your fitness. Everyone ever crowned has always shown some sort of physical prowess."

I thought for a moment. "I'm a pretty fast runner! Kingsley told me so."

"Who?" I explained my trip from Mississippi to England to Cedric and he nodded in understanding. "Maybe we can get you extra flying lessons? It would be better if you were a skilled flier."

I briefly recalled our first flying lesson as first years with Ravenclaw. I got my broom up before anyone else. It was the only thing I'd been able to do better than anyone since I'd gotten here. But flying was something else. I couldn't stay on the thing at all. I had terrible balance. Susan and Ernie, on the other hand, seemed like they were born to fly. Maybe they were. All witches should be able to ride a broom. I suppose I wouldn't be able to do all the witch things that should come naturally until I could completely banish our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from my heart. In fact, I think it is guilt that is knocking me off my broom, and not just clumsiness. "I'll try," I conceded but my hopes weren't high. "Anything else."

"Well, one of the most important. Relationship building. Hufflepuff are renowned for our ease at building strong friendships that help us strengthen our network of information and our influence throughout the wizarding community. Making friends comes naturally to us," Cedric shrugged at that last part. I wasn't so sure. Making friends always seemed to be a struggle of mine. "Every King and Queen needs it's advisors. Specifically, two. You'll have to make two friends and get them to make a vow with you the same way you did with me."

I waved my hand at that. "Just hold hands and repeat the magic vow again? That should be fine. All I need is Dean to go along with it too and bam! Two advisors."

Cedric shook his head and almost looked disappointed in me for a moment. "You really won't understand the significance of all of this until after a sacrifice is made, will you?" Then he moved on. "Anyway, I don't count. Your Guide can't be considered as an advisor. We're two years older than you. We'll graduate before you and then you'll be left behind for two years to fend for yourself. You'll need two people, diverse in thought and character but on a similar wavelength to yourself, to rely on for the tasks you'll be given during your time here."

I still wasn't sure exactly what tasks I'd be given or what the point to all of this was. "Then who if not you?"

"You have to choose two people your own age, from two different houses. That means no Hufflepuffs." Not that any of the other Hufflepuff first years were even talking to me. Leanne was still kind and even greeted me when her Guide wasn't around being a big bully. "It's good that you've made friends with Dean. I've been watching him. He seems like a solid bloke." I didn't know what that meant. "So that covers Gryffindor. Now you just have to find a Ravenclaw that won't mind your-er-shortcomings with your studies. They may even make a good study partner."

"What about Slytherin?" Cedric laughed at that. I mean a genuine loud laugh that almost hid the noise of another dog howl. We picked up and got ready to leave. I was meeting Dean and Seamus in the library so we could try to get our Transfiguration essay completed together. _The basic properties of matter_ for Transfiguring one object into another. See how smart I sound when I talk about school stuff.

"Keep feeling things out with Dean and see if there's someone else you might be able to have a similar connection with. Choose wisely."

Just before Cedric walked out the door, I stopped him. "Hey Cedric! Wait! I have a question." Hand on the door knob, he looked at me over his shoulder. In that pose, he almost looked princely. "What did you mean by a sacrifice being made, Cedric?"

He smiled a small sad smile. "We spoke in the beginning about how only seven of you are eligible. And yet there are eight. It's because one of you is going to die before the school year is out." And with that, Cedric left me to my stunned silence.


	13. Chapter 13: Divining Daphne

" _Someone said they'd heard something like a wolf making all kind of racket on the third floor in the restricted corridor, but you didn't hear that from me. Understood?"_

- _Fred Weasley_

Chapter 13: Divining Daphne

I stood in the door way of my Divinations class we shared with Ravenclaw and half the Slytherin first-years. Slytherin and Gryffindor were the largest sorted classes this year, and so they often divided the Hufflepuff first years, being the smallest sorted class, to round off and fill seats in these classes.

Or at least that's how it was explained.

I slowly came to suspect that we were divided for the specific reason of building out of House relationships. I usually sat in this class with Leanne Merrymount and Meagan Jones. Today they, as well as Susan, were all seated with different Ravenclaw students. And it looked so natural. So natural that I didn't even notice I had been doing the same thing all along with Dean and Seamus. My eyes had been opened to so many things this week, since my last conversation with Cedric.

" _One of you is going to die before the school year is out."_

I physically shook the thought from my mind and scanned the room. It seemed like all the Ravenclaw that I'd consider sitting with were occupied by a Hufflepuff already. Susan occupied the space next to Sue Li and Padma Patil, doubling her chances I suppose. Padma was always kind and smiled at everyone in hello. There was a cricket crawling on the back of Leanne's cardigan once and she whacked it off with a notebook and I thought, maybe I could be friends with someone like her. Crickets don't scare me none, but it was a nice thing to do. Well maybe not to the cricket.

Leanne was seated with a girl named Lisa Turpin. A girl I knew nothing about. The seat next to the two of them was empty and I thought to sit there, but then I thought the better of it. Leanne wouldn't make eye contact with me, but she looked beyond terrified. I could tell she was looking at me through her peripheral vision and her entire body seemed like it was screaming at me _"Don't even think about it!"_ I could understand why. Leanne's Guide was probably putting a lot of pressure on her to make friends and I might be causing her some trouble if I sat next to her. Her eyes darted to me then quickly forward again when she noticed I was staring. I couldn't do that to Leanne.

" _One of you is going to die before the school year is out."_

Leanne was a nice girl. Leanne still spoke to me here and there. Leanne didn't deserve to have to compete with me for a friend. And what if Lisa didn't even like me better? Would I make a better friend than Leanne? I doubted it.

Instead I had a seat at the table in the far top corner in the back of the room. There, one girl sat by herself. Grey Girl.

She seemed startled when I dragged out the seat beside her, but her face didn't compare to the utter horror of the Hufflepuff girls in my class as they openly stared my way. Meagan, Susan, and Leanne all looked at me as if I had just punted a puppy into the blackboard.

A cat was all I'd ever kicked, but I wouldn't tell them that. I think maybe witches might like cats better than dogs.

Daphne Greengrass was the girl I met on the train. I don't know why, but I often found myself really wanting to be her friend ever since that day. Maybe it was just me wanting to redeem myself from my failed greeting. Cedric may have laughed at the thought of making friends with someone from Slytherin, but I didn't see a problem with it. And you know, Cedric has been just saying things and telling me what to do and maybe he isn't always right.

" _One of you is going to die before the school year is out."_

Dean and I grew up like Muggles even though we aren't. I don't think Daphne would know anything about the Scooby-Doo character her name reminds me of because I think she might have always grown up as a witch. I think as future Queen Sow of Hufflepuff, it is my duty to make sure I have an advisor like, what they said, is diverse in thought. We needed a witchy world expert who could fill us in on the things me and Dean did not know.

I spoke confidence into my brow, jaw set, I extended my closest hand to Daphne again. "HI!" She jumped a little. "I'm Mary McGowen-Smith. We met before, but I introduced myself wrong. I know that now. My apologies for offending you Daphne Hydrangea Greengrass."

Her nearly white brows raised into her perfectly swooped hair before coming down into a frown. I noticed she had a thing for intricate top knots and braids. Her hair always looked cool. I'd barely brushed my own since arriving at Hogwarts. I hoped she didn't judge me for it. She hung out with a couple other girls that looked like the type that might have ruined birthday parties for girls like me back home, but there was one beefy girl in their group with an eyebrow harrier than Cedric's and a jaw like a giant Pitbull. So, I think she maybe isn't so bad.

"How did you know my middle-name was Hydrangea?" She asked. "Have you been…have you been _stalking_ me?!"

I quickly waved my hands in denial. "No! I wouldn't do something like that! I mean not to say anything poor about you. You seem cool. But I'd hardly have time to stalk someone around all my studies. Sometimes, while I'm talking, I'll just know things. And just now I thought you looked like your middle name would be Hydrangea, I think. I don't really explain it too well."

She didn't seem to be looking at me, but at my wrist. I followed her line of sight to my bracelet. It had the faintest glow again. I had noticed it seemed to pick up on even the teeniest, faintest bit of psychic energy. It's what Cedric called it. I thought maybe there would be more seers like me, but Cedric said I was pretty special. The only other Seer he knew of was Professor Trelawney and she sort of scared me. I wanted to tell her we were the same, but she only ever seemed interested in bad omens and I don't think I'm ready to talk about that sort of thing yet. I haven't had a scary dreams or visions since leaving the Ministry to get registered and I wanted it to stay that way.

" _One of you is going to die before the school year is out."_

So, I usually hide my bracelet in the sleeve of my robe before coming into her class. I must have forgotten. I tucked it away into my sleeve and gave a sheepish smile. "I really didn't stalk you. I don't even know how to stalk someone's middle name out of them."

She seemed to accept this answer because she hummed and looked to the front of the room where Madame Trelawney had entered. Her bracelet was a solid sunset orange as it banged up against the other bracelets on her wrist. "Good morning, everyone!" Professor Trelawney flicked her wand and our textbook pages turned to a chapter on palm reading. "Today we are going to study the tapestries of fortune you carry with you daily. We're going to do a bit of palm reading." We took turns reading out loud from the text in class. With so many Ravenclaw, I didn't have to worry about getting picked on to read in class. If I did, I'd just drop dead of embarrassment right here.

" _One of you is going to die before the school year is out."_

We learned all the different lines in the palm and what they say about us. Most of the girls only seemed interested in the love lines. After Trelawney's dramatic display of predicting Lisa's untimely demise _"One of you is going to die before the school year is out."_ we were made to practice on each other.

Daphne grabbed my hand before I could work up the courage to even ask for hers. She was frowning down at my hand. "What am I supposed to see?"

There was a silent pause between us before she gave me an annoyed look. Was she really asking me? "I-I'm not sure." I was scrambling to think what the possible right answer could be. "I think she likes it when we predict bad things. Like a death or an accident."

She just frowned and dropped my hand. "Well I don't want to see anything like that."

For the first time, this week, something else Cedric had said popped into my head. _"Choose wisely."_ I think I had. "Me neither," I smiled. Then I held out my hand to her again. "I could try to predict something for you. It doesn't always work when I want or how I want but maybe I might see something that isn't terrible?"

Reluctantly Daphne gave me her hand. "If you see my death, you just keep it to yourself." I nodded in agreement. I cupped her hand in my two but there was none of the instant headiness that came with my usual visions. I tried using the exercise Professor Trelawney had us practice in another class. We meditated that day for the entire lesson. It was the only Divination class so far that I found helpful. We sat on the floor in pretzels and breathed in really deep, then out. In again. Out again. It was hard at first. I couldn't stop thinking about my studies. About my other classes. About Mama and Papa. About all the bedtime prayers I had missed during my late-night reading. But there was a moment in time where I thought nothing. Absolutely nothing. And then I felt something like, warm cracked lips on my forehead. It was so real, my eyes opened and I slapped a hand on it, looking around wildly for the bandit that kissed me before I realized it didn't happen. Not yet.

I breathed in and breathed out. In again. Out again. Daphne's hand twitched in my own but I held tight so she wouldn't move. I needed to concentrate. "What are you-"

"Shh!" I felt something. A tingling hot and cold feeling! It was happening!

I opened my eyes and saw Daphne looking at me. Only we were in a girl's bathroom and her face was redder than a tomato. "Good _MERLIN_! If- if we had stayed in that room for another second. Just a _second,_ I would have died! I would have LITERALLY DIED!"

I dropped her hand and quickly pressed my palm to her forehead. "What are you- Stop that!"

"We have to get you out of here!" I whispered. "I don't feel a fever but you were so red."

Daphne seemed to pale but swatted me away when I tried to take her temperature again. "Will you _stop_! I'm fine," she hissed. "Should have known. You Hufflepuff are nutters."

But I wouldn't let it go. I couldn't. Somehow, I had gotten her to that bathroom. She'd said if she had stayed another second, she would have died. Literally! But how to get her to believe me? I got it! "Look!" I exclaimed, holding up my arm. "My bracelet is glowing. I really did just have a vision. Honest!"

Sure enough, my bracelet glowed a green. Brighter than it had since I'd put it on. She seemed to accept that I was telling the truth finally. "Well, what did you see?"

"I'm not sure exactly what was happening but your face was really red and you were shouting. We have to get you out of here."

"But how?"

I looked around, spotting the teacher- _professor_ just a few tables away, and got an idea. I waved Trelawney over and gripped my sides. "Professor, I'm not feeling well," I moaned. I used to play ill all the time to get out of church on Sundays until Mama caught on. "Can I be excused?"

"Well, that's quite alright," she said though she cocked her head at me rather strangely. "Just hurry along to Madame Pomfrey's." I gave Daphne a pointed look, willing her to read my mind. Hoping I was telepathic too. How cool would that be?

"I'll take her!" Daphne volunteered, jumping up from her chair.

My eyes bulged out of my head. Just where Daphne sat…

There was blood on the seat.

Daphne followed my gaze and her eyes grew wide like saucers. In two seconds flat, her wand was out, and the chair was on fire.

"Good heavens!" Professor Trelawney shouted. She didn't see what Daphne had done, having been fixated on me, but she was completely absorbed with the burning seat cushion at our table.

"Let's get out of here." Daphne grabbed my hand and we rushed out of the tower and down the ladder.

I crawled down first, Daphne coming down right after. She broke out into a run and I followed along after her, thinking we were going to the school nurse's office, but instead grey girl ducked into the girl's bathroom. Well, this one wasn't a bath. More like just a girl's toilet room. The _loo_ as they called it. So fancy. "Daphne, we have to go to the nurse. You're bleeding. You're dying."

"Not yet I'm not!" Her face was redder than a tomato. Just like in my vision. "Good _MERLIN_! If- if we had stayed in that room for another second. Just a _second,_ I would have died! I would have LITERALLY DIED!"

"That's it! That was my vision. You, just now!"

"Well a fat lot of good it did!" she cried. "Couldn't you have had your vision _before_ I mooned all over my chair."

"Mooned?"

I immediately recognized this as the look someone gives me when they think, in that moment, there could be no one in the world more stupid than me. "Yes, mooned. Your moon cycle? Your right of passage?" My face was still clueless, I imagine. "For the love of- _your menses_."

Oh, that did it. "You mean when you become a woman."

"…right." She seemed to be squinting at me. "Um, Mary. Please…I know it's-um…your face."

"Hm?" I turned to the mirror over the sinks. It looked like my forehead was bleeding. "Oh? I hurt myself."

"Um."

"I don't think I remember hurting myself." I rubbed my forehead with my sleeve, hopefully trying to find a cut, but there was nothing.

"Mary!" I turned to look at Daphne, who seemed oddly uncomfortable for some reason. "Um, earlier. The ladder…"

"Yeah?"

Daphne turned away from me. "Y-you went down before me and, I think…I might have… _dripped_."

I…was she really saying what I think she was saying. I turned to look at myself in the mirror again. No cuts. No scrapes. No bruises. Just a red smear across my forehead like Simba in The Lion King. The girl I'm trying to make friends with just told me she might have definitely leaked her _menses_ on..on..on my _FACE_. At that, I screamed.

"Calm down before someone hears you!"

"It's on my face!" I ran my sleeve under the sink and tried wiping it off. But I could still see faint red Simba on my forehead. "It's not coming off!"

"Who's in there?" There was the sound of approaching footsteps. "There better not be anyone skipping class in there."

Daphne grabbed my hand and pulled me into a bathroom stall. "What am I going to do?" she in a low voice. "That's head girl. The other Slytherin say she's the biggest gossip there is and I've got a big bullseye on the back of my robes. By the time I get back to the common room, I'm going to be the laughing stock of the entire school."

I stood there, listening to Daphne panic, watched the terrified look on her face while she dragged her hands over her face, and I couldn't help but see myself. How many times had I hid in the bathroom stall from bullies? How many times had I been afraid of what people would say or think of me. Ever since I got to Hogwarts, I really wanted to be a girl like Daphne. And I got to be. I don't think she's ever had to be a girl like me. As I heard the bathroom door open, I knew I had to do something. "Switch me robes," I whispered, shrugging mine off.

Her eyes bulged. She had been making so many kinds of faces it might get stuck that way. "What are you doing?"

"Hurry! Or do you want all your cool Slytherin friends to find out you got your _period_ in front of the whole class today?" That was enough said. Say something for Slytherins, but she didn't even hesitate to switch robes with me after that. Then I wadded up a bunch of toilet paper around my hands. "And put this in your underwear to stop the dripping."

"Oi! Get out of that stall you two. Right now." We could see the head girl tapping her polished black shoe outside the bathroom stall. I mustered up my feeble determination, and unlocked the stall. The door creaked open to reveal the hard look of the seventh-year girl's face. "What are you two doing in there?"

My shoulders were square, my chest puffed, and my fists balled. "I'm a woman," I proclaimed. "And I have had my first period."

The older girl seemed torn between laughter and disgust. "And _what_ the _bloody hell_ is on your face?"

I glanced at Daphne, suddenly embarrassed. Instead, she stepped forward, chested puffed, shoulders square, fists also balled. "It's her right of passage as a young witch. Don't you read, Witch Weekly? The magical restorative properties preserve your youthful complexion for the next 40 years."

And with that, Daphne marched us out of the bathroom, ignoring the hysterical laughter of the Head Girl behind us. As we made our way to Madame Pomphrey's office, in my stained robes, I couldn't help but feel satisfied with myself.

Cedric would be proud.

(Lidia- Thank you again for reading! I didn't know how it would originally be received given that I'm introducing the story centered around an 11-year old Hufflepuff first-year but I'm glad there are people that like it :)

Reviews:

FenneHP- Thank you for investing in my OC. I appreciate the feedback. I can't make any promises about the typos, but I'll try to pay closer attention moving forward. I'm glad you've chosen to keep reading!

Ted- Thank you for continuing to read!)


	14. Chapter 14: What Exactly Is Obliviate?

" _It is said that it can grant you eternal life or fortunes beyond your wildest- what now? Oh! I was under the impression you were asking after the same as that Potter boy. A Hellgate you say? Well dear me, why would you ask about something as terrible as that when there's a whole Philosopher's St-wait! Where are you going?"_

- _Mundungus Fletcher_

Chapter 14: What exactly is Obliviate?

Cedric was not proud.

As soon as my last class was up, he dragged me to our usual meeting place.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Several things I think, but I was quickly learning when Cedric wanted a question answered and when he was just talking to hear himself talk. I think he called them rhetorical questions. Not to be confused with trick questions. A trick question is when there is no right answer. A rhetorical question is when there is a right answer, but the person asking it doesn't care what that is. I hadn't even gotten to sit down. He was hovering over me. His brow wrinkled together in anger, making his unibrow look even thicker. "Do you know, how many people I've had to _obliviate_ today?"

Again, I was silent.

"Well! Say something!"

Nope. I knew better now. He didn't mean it.

Cedric sighed and slumped into the dusty teacher desk chair. It looked comfy but like it hadn't been sat in, in years. "This close. You came _THIS_ ," he held his fingers up really close together," close to becoming the laughing-stock of the entire school. I had to overhear a group of sixth-year girls in the bathroom with the lights off chanting 'Bloody Mary' over and over again before laughing their arses off."

"What were you doing in the girl's toilet?" I asked, genuinely curious. Cedric didn't strike me as a pervert. He hadn't tried to kiss me once.

He blushed anyway. "Never mind that. Focus." For once, I didn't doubt I was focused on the right thing for a change, but I let it go just the same.

Cedric is my Guide. He knows best. "Yes, Sir."

"And stop calling me 'Sir'. I'm only two years older than you."

"Yes, Mr. Cedric."

"Cedric, Mary. _Just_ Cedric."

"Alright."

"Try it. Say it out loud or you'll forget."

"Cedric. Yes, Cedric."

"Good." I think he was done yelling at me. "You really have to be more careful, Mary. I know-um-having your-that-um- can be difficult-um-at your age." He looked disgusted. "I can't do this. Didn't that woman you lived with ever talk about this with you?"

"Mama doesn't like to talk about that. She says ladies don't talk about those kinds of things. But it's okay Cedric. I didn't have my period."

Her Guide's face seemed to pass through relief to confusion. "Then why does everyone seem to think you have?"

I frowned. My thougts returned to how Cedric found out in the first place. I thought I should help Cedric out too. If he was spying on girls in the toilet, he was going down the wrong path. I think we cannot help being born servants of Satan, but we can resist certain temptations. I am working on my gluttony at meal times. And I think for Cedric being a gross boy, he has to resist watching girls in the toilet. "I was just trying to help a friend. She's not used to being laughed at."

"A friend? You found another advisor. Good for you, Mary!"

I beamed. "Yes! She's really cool. Her name is Daphne Greengrass."

"Greengrass? There's a Greengrass in Ravenclaw?"

"No. She's a Slytherin." Cedric didn't respond at first. "She's another girl in my year and we share a few classes."

"What did I say about a Ravenclaw," he finally growled. "And you chose a Slytherin. A _Slytherin?!_ " He was up out of his chair now and snarling over me again. "The house know for it's incredible disloyalty. Are you an idiot?!"

"All the Ravenclaw were taken! And what's so great about them anyway? I like Daphne! And she likes me now-"

"If she likes you so much, why did she let you take the fall for this period mess? Your new _friend_ was going to sit by while the entire school laughed."

I didn't have anything to say back to that. My feelings were hurt at Cedric calling me dumb, and after I stormed out of the classroom, that was the last time I spoke to Cedric that week.

Which was best because I didn't want to hear an I told you so. Any classes I shared with the Slytherin girls, they constantly went out of their way to pick on me. Milly knocked me over for calling her Milly but never corrected me so now I avoid calling her anything even though she's always hovering around with the rest of Pansy Parkinson's group. And that all started when I sat with Daphne one lunch and she didn't tell me to go away. The next thing I knew, Pansy was following me around asking things like _"If I'd ever heard of a comb"_ or asking me things like _"What's it like?"_ But never explaining wat _it_ is or how I was supposed to know anything about it. And Daphne usually just stood around at the edge of the group, doing nothing about her gang of friends or their odd brand of picking on me.

But I'd still sit next to her at lunch. "Are we friends?" I asked her one day. Draco Malfoy had just purchased a new broom and everyone clamored around him to go look at it. "It's okay if we aren't. I don't think I fit in with the rest of your friends. But I'd like to know."

"Those girls aren't my friends," she said off-handedly, flipping through her monthly copy of Witch Weekly that just came in, via Owl. I hadn't seen my own in a while. Maybe I should check on him. Dean couldn't afford a pet so I let him use my owl to write home to his family since I didn't exactly have anyone to write to. I think he's been taking care of him. I hadn't even named him. I'd just been calling him Owl. "They only hang out with me because my father is a rich pureblood and pretty much owns the entire witch fashion industry." Daphne flipped another page. "Mine and Pansy's mum's are best mates, so they expect us to get on nicely."

"Oh," I squeaked.

"And they're not bullying you. They're just jealous that you got your time of the month before any of them. They were all reckoning Pansy would get it first, and an article in Teen Witch Weekly says that girls that hang around other girls that get their moon cycle first are more likely to start theirs sooner. So, they'll be sticking to you for a while I'm afraid."

"Oh."

There was a long pause and then. "But to answer your question, no. I don't consider us friends. I just met you."

"Oh." Can you say anything else, Mary?!

"But you're not too bad. And you're a McGowen and a Smith. Mum sure will be pleased when I tell her I've made a friend like you. Even if you are a Hufflepuff."

"But I thought you said we weren't friends?"

"We're not."

"But you're going to tell your Mama we are?"

"That's right."

"…Can I tell people we're friends too, even though we're not yet?"

"Yet?"

"Yet."

"Go for it."

I looked over to the Hufflepuff table where Cedric was watching like a hawk and pulled my nostrils up at him. The big goof. He could just go mind a lady's toilet for all I cared what he thought of me and my new almost-friend.

Daphne caught me and looked up just in time to see Cedric look away. "You know Cedric Diggory?"

"Yeah, he's my best friend."

"Your best…I thought I always saw you with that Gryffindor boy."

"You mean Dean?" I asked. Dean was currently serving a detention with Seamus, and Neville. I'm sure it was all Seamus' doing. "Dean is my friend too. I like him better than Cedric really."

"Then why isn't Dean you best friend?"

"Well?" How do I put into words that we are practically married in a secret Hufflepuff club? We aren't supposed to tell. Just the thought of mentioning it sent off alarm bells in my head that made me physically nauseous. "We share a secret," I spoke slowly, as the sick feeling faded away. "A secret that we can't share with anyone else. Not even Dean. Cedric says that makes us better than best friends."

Daphne looked Cedric's way again. He was laughing with another couple 2nd string boys on the Hufflepuff quidditch team. After looking closely, I could see some pink peeking through all the gray of her cheeks. "Well that's sort of like the two of us then. We have a secret too. One that we can't tell anyone else." I shrugged. She had a point. I suppose Daphne's mooning all over a chair in the middle of class was our version of a super-secret Hufflepuff club. "Then let's be better than best-friends, you and I," Daphne offered, extending a hand to me.

I smiled and put down my buttered croissant to shake her hand. "I'd like that. We won't be telling anyone about what happened in that bathroom."

"What?"

"…Isn't that our secret?"

She seemed to blush more at that. "Oh right. Keep that to yourself. Additionally, you won't be gossiping to anyone about my middle name being Hydrangea, either."

"Oh, that? Okay."

"Good. Tomorrow, let's have lunch at your house table with Cedric. It'd be a good thing, for all your _better than best-friends_ to get along, I think," Daphne conspired with a grin, revealing a perfect row of pearly white teeth.

"Sure thing!"


	15. Chapter 15: Turkeys In The Rain

" _There's only one thing that'll be taming the savage beast. That's music. Any dumbbell that's read a fairy-tale knows that."_

 _-Seamus Finnegan_

Chapter 15: Turkeys In The Rain

It's been two weeks since Daphne and I agreed to be friends. Having friends was nice. Daphne, Dean, and I would all eat lunch together at the Hufflepuff table with stupid chapped-lipped Cedric who I still wasn't talking to. Any time he looked at me I made the ugliest face I could think of, so he wouldn't get any ideas. The pervert. Daphne seemed to show an interest in getting to know my other friends too. She didn't seem to speak to Cedric too much and always looked like she was running a fever whenever he was nearby, but I'd occasionally catch her staring at him. I did that too, when I was nervous about what to say to people. Maybe Daphne was just nervous. He _is_ an older stupid crackle-mouthed boy after all. What do you say to someone like that? Surely not your true thoughts and feelings because he's just going to go and call you stupid for them and shout in his stupid scratchy-cracked voice to match his stupid cracked-lips.

Daphne, Dean, and I would often do our homework together. When Me and Dean played cards, she would sit nearby and read one of those romancy-cootie books of hers. I liked mystery books best. Mama said reading romance novels while you were still young and impressionable would lead to premarital sex. That, like a lot of things Mama and Papa warned me about, led to hell. Now I don't really know what all you have to do to have sex, but I know it starts with kissing and I didn't want any parts to do with it. She didn't seem to like Seamus at all and would often disappear with her housemates-not-friends whenever he came around. It's okay. Seamus could be a lot at times. I didn't understand how he had friends like Dean or Neville. Neville was so gentle and kind. He helped change my band-aids after my most recent flying lesson with stupid unibrow having scaly-snakeskin-but-I-hate-Slytherins-mouthed Cedric.

I was feeling a little down today. It was the middle of October and overcast. I sat alone outside, staring at the Whomping Willow as it smacked away yet another migrating bird foolish enough to try and rest on its branches. The others birds all perched on the roof of the castle.

"Mary?"

I couldn't pay attention in any of my classes again. Professor Snape issued me a detention with him for Saturday for failing to remain alert and attentive during today's lesson. He thankfully hadn't asked me about the medicine he gave me since the day he'd given it to me, but I was sure he could tell I hadn't been taking it.

"Hey, Mary?"

I felt a small drop of water hit my nose and looked up. It seemed like storm clouds were forming. I had such a bad feeling about today. Another drop plopped onto my forehead. I heard turkeys stared up into the sky when it rained, with their mouths wide open and drowned themselves. If a person stared up into the sky for long enough with their mouth open, would they drown? I opened my mouth and stuck out my tongue as steady droplets of water began to fall.

A hand gripped my shoulder just then. And I looked over my shoulder, mouth still open but a familiar feeling washed over me. "Mary, what are you doing," Cedric pimply-jaw Diggory chided.

My eyes clouded over, revealing the stony visage of a boy, maybe in his sixth or seventh year, with a cut and dirt smudged face. _"This is a long shot but if I'm right, I'm just hoping I have the chance to say goodbye. I never wanted to leave you behind, but you'll have to do this without me now. But you don't need me. You never needed me. Just please, tell her…tell her I loved her. Tell her I loved her and I'm so sor-"_ And with a flash I was jerked back to reality. Cedric was cupping my wrist. The ball on my bracelet glowed white before settling into a swampy green color. I could still hear a haunting cackle in my ears. "What did you see?" He asked in a softer voice. "You look terrified."

I snatched my wrist back and cupped it to my chest. "I'm fine," I said, forcing a smile and saying my first words that I've said to him since our argument.

"It's raining, Mary," Cedric said matter-of-factly. "We should get inside."

"We should." I nodded but didn't move. Cedric didn't either. Instead he sat down with me. He tilted his head back and looked at the sky and opened his mouth, tongue hanging out. "What are you doing?"

"You seemed interested in it," He paused briefly to shrug. "I was curious what you were thinking."

"I was thinking about turkeys," I answered back.

"About the drowning? Wondering if maybe you could drown too?"

Well not myself specifically. I didn't think. But I nodded anyway. We were soon both sitting in the pouring rain with our mouths open like a couple of turkeys, ready to drown.

"I think I just saw a boy say good-bye. But I don't know who he was or who he was talking to…"

Cedric just hummed in response.

My Guide made some excuse as to why we returned soaking wet and late for my after school lesson. It was a weak excuse about me getting lost on the castle grounds but Professor Sprout seemed to accept that answer. She was always so warm and friendly in Herbology class. The other students were all so jealous we had a head of house like Pamona.

They didn't know her.

She was apathetic. Cold. Aloof. There were times when I noticed her studying us. Her eyes were so sharp and _intimidating_. Intimidating was a word I'd had to look up recently. It was perfect for Professor. She gave out hugs and high-fives to kids but none of the other houses ever seemed to notice how never-not once- had she ever hugged any of us Hufflepuff first-years. She seemed to be focused on out of house relationships too.

Sure, we received smiles and kind words, but never once any genuine affection. I almost felt like maybe a hamster or a rat that the scientists in movies put through the maze? Like that. She was watching us to see who would get to the cheese the fastest. Who the smart rat was and who the dumb rats were. I always felt like the dumb rat.

Part of the reason it was so easy for me to stay up and study in her room was because I was honestly afraid to sleep around her. I had a dream once that I had woken up in the middle of the night and she was standing over me, watching me sleep. It felt real but a lot of my dreams did.

Tonight, however, I was unable to stay up and study. I was too tired and just plain not up for it. After a short bath, I lie in bed staring at the low earth covered ceiling. My vision was blurry. It was shaking. I was seeing stars and angels. Little yellow painted stars and angels on my pink ceiling. They would glow in the dark when the lights were off. I had begged and begged and BEGGED Mama to buy the painted wall stickers when I first saw them at the Christian artists festival we went to. I remember cupping my hands around part of the wings like the art sales lady told me and I could see the neon-yellow glow. I'd never seen anything glow in the dark before.

It was like magic.

I couldn't move my arms. I couldn't move my legs either. That was right. I was still tied down. It was for my own good. I coughed, and pain shot like a burning tearing in my throat down to my chest as I felt the bone pop. Like a knuckle. I was so thirsty. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had a drink. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had a bite to eat. I couldn't remember much.

Droplets of water hit my face. That must have been what woke me up. I opened my mouth and stretched my tongue out. I could feel the rough texture of it wipe across my cheek until- WATER! I licked at it until it was immediately absorbed into the sandpaper appendage. "I knew it," a gruff voice piped up. "Look how it laps at the Holy Water. It's making a display of how powerful it is." I blinked the blurry images into focus. Papa sat nearest the bed on a hard plastic table I'd colored all over. I wanted it to be fancy enough to host tea parties with my friends, Godric, Salazaar, Rowena, and Helga. Mama had been instructed to throw them away. They were potential _conduits_ of the devil, available for potential possession. All but Helga, my first stuffed bear and very best friend, were taken out to the garbage. Helga sat idle at the end of my bed, golden yellow soft fur and one eye replaced with a bright blue button much larger than the other eye. I didn't know what a conduit was but Helga was one. The demon inside me was meant to latch onto her.

"Mama," I choked out. She stood at the end of the bed, wringing her hands, but a bit messier than I've ever seen her. "P-…ease….irsty." I was so thirsty. It burned to breathe.

Mama looked to the holy man in the room with us while he corked his flask of holy water. "We can't feed the beast. Like we discussed, it's trying to appeal to you. It may even let your daughter speak to beguile you into giving it nourishment. But this just means the connection it shares with your daughter has grown weak."

The woman touched a hand to her lips. "Oh, Mary." She looked like she would touch me, but didn't. "It's almost over sweetie. You have to be strong. When you come out of this, you'll be cleansed. You won't ever have to worry about these impure thoughts and feelings. You won't be _seeing_ things anymore." She clasped her hands in prayer now, pleading with me. "You won't be a danger to anyone anymore."

I wanted to reach out to her. I was scared. My head lulled to the side, heavy and unable to hold itself straight. Papa looked more worried than I'd ever seen him. "Pahpah." I wanted him to read my plea in my eyes because it hurt so much to speak. He looked more distressed than Mama, but he didn't budge.

My stomach made a weak whining sound. The first few days it growled so loud. How long has it been?

"It's best we get started now. The girl's body won't survive this much longer."

" _Wake up, Mary!"_

My eyes pried open but they felt sticky. "P-Professor?" Sprout was standing over me, her eyes more frantic than I'd ever seen.

"That's it, Mary. It's me." She pulled out her wand, the tip of it poking at my temple. "I need you to relax."

Just then, the door opened, and Cedric came bounding in. "Everyone's being evacuated to the Great Hall. We don't have much time. The tunnels won't be safe right now."

My bed was shaking. Was there an earthquake? No. This felt familiar.

Like the time I turned the house upside down.

"Not again," I whimpered.

Professor gave me a strong pluck to the forehead, but her wand never stopped circling my temple. "Pathetic. You must fight this yourself, Mary. You have to try to real it in."

I tried. I remembered the time I was able to stop an episode from happening before. But this wasn't like that time. It felt like trying to stop a river with my bare hands. The flow of what I now knew to be magic and not demon energy, flowed between my finger tips and spilled over the sides of my hands. It poured out of every part of me and hurt wherever her wand pressed. "I can't."

Instead, Professor Sprout grabbed my blanket and wrapped me like a burrito. "Lift her, Cedric. Be careful not to touch any skin." There was another loud bang from above us. Something had fallen over.

Cedric nodded and hefted me into his scrawny but surprisingly strong arms. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Shh," Cedric smiled. "It's okay. We're going to get you to Madame Pomphrey and she'll get you sorted right away, okay?"

I was so sorry I had called Cedric all those mean names. I never said them out loud, but they were still pretty mean. "What if I," It was hard to talk. Sweat got into my eyes and there was hair in my mouth. "What if I destroy the school?"

"Well, Hogwarts is a little sturdier than that, I would hope."

As we made our way down the halls, I could hear the frantic shouting of paintings as the pillars creaked. Dust fell from the high ceiling, almost making me sneeze. My skin was beginning to burn everywhere the blanket pressed. Finally, we reached the nurse Madame Pomphrey. "Set her down here. We need to get her sedated immediately the muggle way." Pomphrey held out up an old-timey looking syringe, and I immediately tried to crawl out of bed.

"No needles!"

But vines snaked up and bound me to the bed. "Stay still," Professor Sprout chided.

There was a quick brief sting in my arm, and I suddenly felt like I was floating out of myself. The tendrils of magic pulled back and dissipated. I felt…lighter. "She's still got a fever," Pomphrey announced. "I can't use any magic on her and risk the malignant force around her twisting it into something different, so I'll need to keep her overnight until her fever breaks the old-fashioned way.

"I think someone else is worried after Mary." Just then, Dumbledore breezed into the room, closely followed by Dean Thomas.

"Dean!" I smiled. I think I would normally be embarrassed. Whether at him the thought that he may find out I almost brought the roof down on him, or at my fuzzy halo pajamas. "You're here?"

"I didn't see you in the Great Hall, and so I came looking for you," Dean mumbled, clearly embarrassed at all the attention. He approached my bedside and sat in the chair. "I saw Cedric and Professor Sprout carrying you to the hospital wing and thought maybe you got hurt in the earthquake."

"That was brave," Cedric praised, but then gave me a pointed look. _And foolish_ it seemed to say. A little secret club Hufflepuff humor.

"Thank you, Dean. But I'm fine." He didn't believe me. And why would he? My face was flushed and covered in sweat.

"Actually far from it," Headmaster chimed in, approaching my other side. Both Professor Sprout and Madame Pomphrey, as if sensing they had been dismissed, disappeared. "It is time Mary. We need to know what happened." In front of Cedric and Dean? I couldn't. But Dumbledore pressed on, placed his wrinkly hand of my clammy one. "Sharing, is the first and biggest step in recovering from something like this. If you don't always want the thoughts of your past to trigger your episodes, sharing goes a long way toward fixing that. But you must tell us everything that happened."

"But-." I looked over to Dean. He was my friend and I didn't want him to know I was a freak. What if he looked at me different.

"It's okay Mary," Dean encouraged instead. "We're mates. Always."

Cedric nodded as well. Everyone was here. They were all here for me. "I saved a puppy," I began. "Part of the roof almost fell on both of us and then it didn't. I stopped it." I pulled my hands out of Dumbledore's and wrung them together. "Everyone saw. After that, Mama and Papa locked me in my room. Th-they said I was possessed by a servant of Satan. Father Michael came and after that they-they tied me down to my bed." I rubbed my wrists. The scars were faint, but they were still there. "I can't remember how long I was there. It was a really long time though. It was September when they tied me down and I think one day I remember seeing people trick-or-treating outside. I've never been trick-or-treating. It looked like fun."

"You were there for a whole month?!" Dean blurted out but immediately shut up and Dumbledore's sharp look.

"I guess so. Maybe longer. I couldn't eat or drink. Father Michael said the weaker I was…the closer I was to death, the looser the ties the demon had on my soul. They wanted it to jump out of me and into Helga. I didn't know it at the time, but I had named all my bears after the founders. They were my friends. Sometimes, if I listened closely enough, I could hear them speak to me." My cheeks were sticky with more than sweat now as tears fell. "Sometimes, when they needed me to eat, I would get a little peanut butter. I really like peanut butter and I was so hungry. They would give me two spoonfulls. Most other days it was just a few sips of water." I think my hands were shaking. Normally, this is when things started to shake, crack, and fall apart. Instead, a warm hand reached out and pulled me close. Cedric's skinny chest had a steady heart-beat. "They would cover me with a blanket and press all of their weight. I couldn't-" I was hiccupping now, "breathe. I couldn't breathe. They couldn't hear me anymore toward the end because they were praying so loud. It was so hot. There were two heaters in my room. But Helga saved me."

"Your bear?" Dumbledore asked in a curious manner.

I nodded awkwardly against Cedric's chest. "One day it was really bad. I thought I'd die. I looked at to Helga and she waved. She waved and they saw it. The demon in me leapt out and possessed Helga. They burned her after but by then, the house had been turned upside down. Literally. I almost killed everyone. But Helga saved me-"

"Shh," Cedric hushed. "That's enough now. You need rest."

I practically melted back onto the bed and just like that, I was out.


	16. Chapter 16: Leanne's Sweaty Hand

" _Hellgate? Is it anything like a veil? My father's mentioned one of those before. He's a ministry man. Poor thing what happened to your family. Can you give Daphne my address?"_

 _-Draco Malfoy_

Chapter 16: Leanne's Sweaty Hand

The next morning, I woke early. Dean had fallen asleep in his chair, drooling on my bed cover, and Cedric was up, feet propped at the end of the bed reading an issue of _Sports Now_. Featured was a rugged boy out of Bulgaria already being scouted and said to start an immense bidding war come his 17th birthday. Madame Pomphrey eventually shooed him away, but I was not allowed to leave the room for the next two days. They came back and visited every afternoon, this time with Daphne who I thought I was here because of a flu. _"It's the season for that they say_ ," she would mention each time she brought me stolen food from the Great Hall. Hospital food was gross in comparison, but I didn't want to mention it because of the whole 'working on my gluttony' thing. Although I hardly know exactly what good manners are to a devil worshipper. Maybe they intend for me to be _more_ gluttonous?

Seamus came by once, if only to both complain about the mess I'd made and thank me for getting classes canceled for the week. I really do think he was a little worried about me. He mumbled something about worrying for nothing when he walked in on me stuffing my face full of croissants. He couldn't stand Daphne's presence long enough to hang around longer since it was made very clear that she wouldn't be the one to leave the room this time around. Daphne was taking her more-than-best-friend role very seriously. She even conjured up a vase of Peach Roses at my bedside and told me they were for me. "My favorite flowers are water lily. They symbolize life and love."

"These peach roses are my favorite because…well I've never gotten flowers before."

Daphne snorted and dug her nose back into her magazine. "That'll likely change. Just wait until a stupid boy decides he fancies you. Whatever flower he gets you will likely be your favorite."

Dean's nose scrunched up in disgust. "Can we talk about something other than flowers and blokes?" He'd gotten himself comfortable laying across the foot of my bed. Madame Pomphrey surprisingly didn't force him out. She let him come by whenever he wanted.

Just then, one of the red-heads in some of my classes walked in. I almost choked on my bread. He waltzed in like the omen child himself, with his burning hair and pale freckled face. "Hey Dean! What are you doing here?"

"Visiting a friend," he said before introducing us. "Ron, Mary. Mary, Ron."

I knew it was important that we give last names during introductions, but I had no intentions of interacting with him ever again if I could help it. He gave a small nod and a wave and I returned it by looking away and continuing to eat. Maybe if I didn't look he would just go away. That's mean. Oh, but it isn't like he doesn't have plenty of friends. All of the Gryffindor boys seem to like Ron. I'd even seen a couple of the Hufflepuff boys hanging around him. They all wanted to be his friend. Well I didn't want to. He was popular enough. He could go hang around _HER-MY-KNEE_ Granger and Harold Potts and stay good and far away from me. And I wouldn't be hearing any strange overlapping voices.

When Dean asked me later why I was being so rude, I'd simply told him, "He's weird is all." Dean and Daphne looked confused, but they seemed to let it go.

Eventually, I was finally cleared to leave and able to make it back to the Hufflepuff cellar. As soon as I stepped through the barrel doors, Cedric was waiting for me, again. As always. I could never get any peace. "Let's go. Everyone's waiting." He didn't give me a chance to even ask who or for what. I was immediately dragged into the secret hallway and then into one of the smaller secret rooms. The entire house was present and made way for Cedric when they noticed me behind him.

I blushed, embarrassed to be seen in my pajamas again. They were different, bright blue with white polka-dots, but these covered my feet. I never got to see what kind of pajamas the other girls wore since we didn't share a room, but the funny looks told me they weren't footie-pajamas. Note to self, Mary. Get new pajamas next year. Witchy ones. "Are you okay?" Leanne whispered when we arrived at the front of the crowd. The guides gathered off to the side and left us first-years to be spectated.

"Oh, I'm well. Thank you," I smiled, though still embarrassed. "Just a little sick."

"Sick?" she frowned. "Oh, you don't have to lie to anyone here, Mary. All of Hufflepuff know you almost brought the roof down on us-err. Sorry. But your condition. We've all been made aware." At the look of horror on my face, she tried to settle my nerves. "Oh, don't worry. We've all been told not to tell anyone."

That didn't make me feel any better, but I gave a weak smile anyway. Just then, Professor Sprout came barging to the front of the room with a scroll in-hand. A loud round of murmurs rose. There was even one person collecting sickles. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I wasn't going to tell the rest of the first years that. It seemed their Guides always kept them slightly more well informed than my own ever did. I shot Cedric a glare, but he seemed to be preoccupied with Cat girl. They always seemed to be going back and forth. Mama said when boys picked on you like that, it was because they liked you. Like-liked you. I don't think I ever want to be like-liked by a boy if that's what I can expect.

"Settle down. Settle down," Professor Sprout chided. The noise was immediately silenced. "I know you've all been incredibly eager to see how this year's round of Eligibles have been doing. Welcome to their first ranking ceremony. The following is a list compiled by Helga Hufflepuff herself. Here, she has ranked you all from one to eight. One being most likely to be crowned, and eight being the least likely."

My mouth dropped. They were going to rank us right here? Right now? In front of the entire house? I almost choked on my own spit.

"The list reads as follows. Number eight, Leanne Merrymount-"

"Oh no," Leanne gasped beside me. Her hands were shaking. I glanced to our left with the courage she didn't have and could see Creevy fuming. His whole face was red and he was looking at Leanne like he was fit to hit her. If he thought he was going to I'd…I'd…I'd kick him in the ankle. His weak looking ankles. I reached down and grabbed Leanne's hand and she seemed to calm down a bit. What shocked me the most was that I wasn't last. But, I'm sure I'd be next. Maybe my hard work really did pay off.

"Seventh, Hannah Abbott." Another whimper. "Sixth, Justin Finch-Fletchley. Fifth, Zacharias Smith." A loud huff. "Fourth, Meagan Jones. Third, Susan Bones. Second, Ernest Macmillan." Various loud gasps. My heart stopped beating for a moment. I was torn between wondering if she'd forgotten my name and realizing what was happening. "First…Mary McGowen-Smith."

I could feel everyone's eyes on me. They pierced through me to the spot behind me where Professor Sprout enchanted a nail through the scroll, holding it to the wall.

"First!" Cedric cheered, clapping in the silent room. "Pay up!" And there it was. My guide finally got to yell out first. Mary's done first.

Leanne wrenched her hand out of mine and ran out of the room, followed closely by her Guide.


	17. Chapter 17: The Better Smith

" _Leave me alone!"_

 _-Leanne_

Chapter 17: The Better Smith

"Ouch!" I yelped when Susan Bones mistakenly stepped on my finger. At least, I would have thought it was a mistake before.

Now I knew better.

"Watch where you're going, _your highness_ ," Zach sneered from above me. It was his fault I'd been knocked over. He bumped into me on purpose. Luckily, I hadn't caused too much of a mess. Ernie and Hannah had continued on reluctantly, not wanting to get involved I guess. Leanne stayed back, but refused to make eye contact with me.

"Mary!" Dean shouted catching up to where I was sprawled on the floor. I quickly shuffled to my knees to gather my things, embarrassed to have my friend see me like this. What if Dean saw and didn't want to be friends with me anymore? "Mary are you okay?" He asked, helping me to my feet.

I faked a big smile for him. "I'm fine! Just an accident."

"Yeah right," he frowned, glaring at Zach. "I saw what happened, Smith."

Zacharias just held up open palms. "It was an accident, mate. Honest."

"Accident my foot!" Dean shoved his books into my already full arms. Don't worry, I'm fine over here. Not overloaded at all. He yanked the strap of Zach's bag forcibly off of him and dumped the contents out of the bag. "Try having any more of your accidents with Mary again, yeah?"

"Dean," I gasped, completely shocked. Zacharias stood at almost a head taller than him but Dean didn't seem intimidated at all. Those brave, foolish Gryffindor traits were showing again.

"Go on, Mary. Before we're late to class." He hadn't taken his eyes off Zach who just stood there staring back with a sneer of his own. I waddled past the small group, and Dean followed after me, kicking Zacharias' Divintations text book further out of the taller boy's reach.

"Is he an advisor or a boyfriend?" I heard Meagan giggle, sparking a similar reaction from the rest of the group.

When we arrived at our Friday Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Dean and Daphne settled in beside me. On Fridays, all the houses took DADA together. I remember thinking, when first attending this class, how weird it was for their to be a certain kind of magic more evil when it was all pretty evil. After all, I'm pretty sure PETA wouldn't approve of us turning poor defenseless mice into tea cups. Could the mouse still feel it when you poured hot tea into it? It's all evil magic or a _dark art_ really. We're all going to the same part of hell as the guys that worked for the Dark Lord or He-Who-You-Can't-Say-His-Name. Which in my opinion, just sounds a lot like Satan's favorite children.

"Good afternoon," Professor Quirrell greeted in a distracted tone while he tightened his turban. "Today, we're going to learn the incantation for the 'knock back jinx' we studied last week."

Class went as it usually did. We silently, in groups of three or four, practiced our inflexions of the word _Flipendo_.

"Something happen between you and your housemates?" Daphne inquired.

Curious, I followed her gaze to the Hufflepuff first years. Hannah had rejoined the group, and they were shooting us looks and giggles. "Not really," I shrugged. It was obvious I was lying. I was going to have to have to get a little better at that.

Dean scowled at me but didn't call me out on it. "I think your housemates aren't too thrilled to see you sitting with us," he mentioned instead. He was right. I'd noticed on several occasions, Pansy glaring right at me. She was always looking at me instead of Daphne and I never even talk to her.

I even caught Draco stealing a glance from time to time at our oddball match-up.

"Are they upset that following me around hasn't made them start their _you-know-what_ 's yet?"

Dean gagged. "If you start this, I'm going to sit somewhere else."

"I hear a lot of chatting, but not a lot if encant'ing." Professor Quirrell sidled up to our table. "Would anyone like to demonstrate?"

Dean grabbed his wand but Quirrell waved him off and looked me dead in the eyes. "You," he said with a sharp tap to my shoulder. "Genetically, the most talented person in the room. Let's see what your proud lineage has lent you. Up!" I grabbed my wand and rubbed my bruised shoulder. With a flick of his wrist, the tables and students were pushed to the side. I stood in the middle of the room clutching my wand to my chest. "Well go on. Aim right at that chair."

I took a deep breath in and out. You can do this Mary. Sure, your spells take lots of practice, but you were ranked number one for a reason. I extended my arm and, "FlipenDO!" Nothing happened. "FLIPenDO!" The chair wobbled a bit but ultimately nothing.

Professor Quirrell hummed in… _pleased?_ disapproval. "Close but no cigar, I'm afraid. Maybe perchance it would help if you had an opponent?" He, for one moment, looked as if he would make himself that target. After a scratch to the back of his head, he must have rethought the idea. "You," he said, pointing out Zacharias. "So-called heir of Hufflepuff." Zach looked both surprised and offended. "Yes I can hear your bragging through these thin and hollow walls. If you are apart of Helga's lineage at all, then this should be no trouble for you." He approached our teacher confidently, as if he already knew he had it.

And he likely already did. Apparently secret lessons hadn't let up while I'd been in the hospital wing.

"Wands ready!"

My hand was shaking. I couldn't do this. I needed more time. It wasn't enough time.

"Fire-"

My eyes clenched closed and I braced myself for impact as Zach yelled out, "FliPENDO!"

I felt a gust of air slap my hair against my face. Otherwise, I was unmoved. "Daphne!" I heard Dean shout. I looked behind me to see Daphne Greengrass laying limp against the far classroom wall, eyes half open and drowsy. Draco ran over, practically shoving Dean's hands away. Pansy and crew followed immediately after, looking worried but nervous as to what they should do. Professor Quirrell's class was much a class on theoretical defense against dark magic. Kids laughed at him and called him all kinds of names. It was almost the equivalent to Sybill's Divination course. A joke.

I whipped around to see Zacharias again, holding up his hands in an innocent manner. "Sorry. My hand must have slipped."

I could feel the anger boiling to the surface and my cheeks suddenly felt hot. I tucked my wand away and extended a finger at him. "You did that on purpose!" I shouted in front of everyone, not caring if anyone questioned the context behind why he would do so. Hufflepuff may have had a strained relationship with _Slithering_ , but it was nothing compared to Gryffindor who held opposing values, or Ravenclaw's grudge that a green boy many years ago stole a relic belonging to their house.

"Why would I-"

"Don't deny it you- you- phony!" I could feel something singing to me, calling me to commit an act of violence. A sin. I couldn't deny it as my feet took slow steps in his direction.

That last insult seemed to do it. Zacharias had had it with people questioning his heritage. I knew nothing of it, truly. But Cedric said _I_ was a true heir of Hufflepuff and that _I_ was the last of both _prominent_ McGowen and Smith families. Cedric told me that Zacharias' rich, hideous, social climbing sod of a relation Hepatitis Smith's mother changed the names of her and her children to Smith and began a scandal about a secret marriage shortly after she was banished from the Cete. She went so far as to steal the sacred Hufflepuff cup and claim it as her family heirloom. Cedric says there was no wedding, that they were liars and thieves, and that I was the only living Heir of Hufflepuff and the Smith family fortune. I don't know what a sod is, but I know liar and thief, and I knew Zach was a bully.

Zach's hand lifted, ready to fire off another jinx. My feet moved as fast as they could. I felt my fist heat the closer to him I got. "FliPE-!"

And I punched him square in the face. "FliPENDO!"

"OOF!" He flew back with a loud clatter into the tables students have evacuated just moments before. Harry Pot, ever the hero, rushed to Zach's side. I wonder why he felt no need to help up Daphne? If he only knew the nasty things Zacharias says about him when Zach, Hannah, and Justin get together. A small bit of hate just then, festered for Harry, my mind immediately comparing him to a spoiled Jubilee. I was feeling rather hateful in general right now.

I looked down at my fist, the white-hot glow subsiding and disappearing along with all my anger. What did I just do?

"Zach! Zacharias!" Hannah cried, throwing herself onto the floor beside him. Harry's calmer voice could be heard asking the injured boy to try breathing slowly. He was grasping wildly and making the ugliest sound. Like…like a car engine trying to start?

Professor Quirrell I noticed hadn't gotten involved at first. When I looked to him he seemed to be looking out the window and muttering to himself. His turban seemed shuffle. Maybe it was coming loose? I felt like he was looking at me. Right at me. The place that he'd tapped me earlier began to itch and I felt a vision coming on. Wild alarm bells went off in my head. It wasn't safe to have a vision right now. I didn't sense any threat, but I knew if wasn't safe. The hairs on my arms raised when I noticed his reflection in the window glass was fixated on me. Somehow, with all my effort, I reigned in the impulse. It was the first time I had ever done that, too. It looked like I was gathering some bit of control of myself since coming here.

This moment seemed to stretch minutes but it only lasted seconds before Quirrell was ordering us all out of the room.

I hesitated as everyone scurried around me. "Professor?" I asked, hoping he would know why I stayed behind. 'Am I in any trouble?' I wanted to say. Not was Zach okay.

"I said out!" He hissed at me.

I looked back and saw that Daphne was already missing and that we were alone.

I darted out of the room.


	18. Chapter 18: Fight Club

" _I don't know. Hellgates can't be real. If they were, a wizard surely couldn't ever close one. It'd take something like an Elf or Fae magic to accomplish something that extraordinary…why that face? Yes, I said Elf. We don't keep house Elves in our home. Dad says the rest of the wizarding world is wrong. That Elf magic is frightening. Everything that they can do…"_

 _-Angelina Johnson_

Chapter 18: Fight Club

DADA classes from then on have been my least favorite class. I was always on edge and always uncomfortable. Every instinct I had always told me that I was in immediate danger every time I got anywhere near Professor Quirrell. I think this is the feeling you get when you know someone doesn't like you. He avoided me in general and there were no more classroom demonstrations like before. It was business as usual.

I never even got in trouble for punching Zacharias. His nose was purple, and he sported two black eyes, but I didn't get called down to the headmaster's office or anything.

It almost seemed like Professor Quirrell wanted to forget the whole thing happened.

I'd like that, but everyone had heard.

There were some benefits. The other Hufflepuff first-years left me to myself. I think they might even be afraid of me a little. That was fine. I was a little afraid of myself after the whole thing.

Cedric wasn't pleased but I was getting more and more used to disappointing him. He sat me down and explained that I was going to notice things change with my magic, physically, over the next few years. It was one of the reasons why every Hufflepuff drank from the fountain. It's supposed to help us realize our greatest potential, among other things. He wouldn't mention what those other things were. But it made sense how I'd been able to reign in my impulse to have a vision in DADA class that day or how I'd stopped myself from having an episode that one time.

What Cedric found especially annoying were my new friends I'd made after punching Mr. Fakey-Mc-Fake-Face. There were three older boys waiting for me outside of my Care of Magical Creatures Class. Two Gryffindors, Nicholas and Kal, and one Ravenclaw, Errol. All three were the sole members of the Wizarding MMA Appreciation Club, or WMAC and they wanted me to join. Apparently, they were big fans of my father's? I wasn't sure what that meant but I mostly just met with them once a week before my after-class lessons in a small room behind the Owl feed storage shack. There were tons of posters of fighters all over the walls.

"MMA fighting is similar to what you might see in the Muggle world," said Kal. He was a muggle-born in his fourth-year. Same as Nicholas. I had never seen an MMA fight in the real world. It looked a little like boxing though. Except the fighter's gloves look different and they kick their feet.

Errol, a large fifth-year boy with an even larger gap-toothed smile, plucked a moving poster of a man swinging at the air. He looked just like- "This is for you," Errol smiled. "It's your father! He was my favorite fighter." I gingerly took the folding paper from him, afraid it would tear. It looked so old.

"This is my…Papa?"

Errol hadn't stopped yammering on. "MMA fighting takes extreme focus and even then, not all wizards can do it. You have to train and meditate regularly to even be considered a decent fighter. You have to be sharp and quick and have a library of spells memorized that you can pull on at a moment's notice. You have to be able to draw on intense emotions and twist them into powerful magic you can focus on certain points of your body. And you have to be of peak physical fitness. It all takes an incredible tole on your body."

Nicholas, also in his fourth-year, grabbed me excitedly by the shoulders. "You are part of the 20% of the wizarding population even capable of fighting. Isn't that awesome? You're special Mary!"

I looked down at my seer's bracelet feeling troubled. Being special was getting real old.

The remainder of the meeting was spent trash talking Quidditch and checking the club treasury to see how much money they had left to raise to afford tickets now that they needed four. They were hoping we could all attend a match this winter break. Matches got expensive but didn't provide the same sort of space that allowed for super cheap seats.

It seemed my circle was growing wider. Even some Slytherin students seemed to be warming up to me. I was the girl that used wandless magic, to punch loud mouth Zach in the face, in defense of Daphne Greengrass, a fellow Slytherin girl. By Halloween, I was excitedly skipping to the Owlery to see Owl. He was back from an errand he'd flown on for Dean. I stood aside while two twin Gryffindor boys I vaguely recognized came bounding down the stairs. They took one look at me and burst into chuckles. "M'lady," one winked before they continued down. Those boys, I heard, loved pranks. They turned Hannah's hair gray because they thought she reminded them of a nervous old woman. They were worse than Peeves. He was a ghost that liked to play cruel jokes on students, though we always seemed to just miss each other. Barely missing set buckets of water over doors or powder bombs leaves me thinking my heavenly guardian angel must not have completely abandoned me yet. I was baptized after all.

In my hand I had three hand written letters to send. One was a brief letter to Mrs. Finnigan in response to the one she sent Seamus to give to me. It was a couple short lines about how she hoped I was doing well. To keep up my studies and to make sure to look after my health. It was really short. Mama always wrote such lengthy handwritten notes to people. Sometimes I found myself missing her. Enclosed was also a permission slip to go to Hogsmeade in December. A couple of the older kids had talked about how they couldn't wait to go. It was like a little wizard town where you could buy heretic goods.

The second letter was to Nymphadora Tonks. I had to go to Headmaster Dumbledore to ask how to send a letter and if she might care if I wrote her and how to spell her name. I thought for a moment if I might write Kingsley too, but I suppose I wasn't too nice to Nymphadora and so it was best I write her first. Dumbledore tells me she was also a Hufflepuff during her time. I wrote a decent sized letter to thank her for bringing me to England and to apologize for mistaking her for a demon. She may have been some sort of advocate for Satan, but I was no different at this point. I also asked her what her time in Hufflepuff was like, and if she had any tips or tricks I could use to make my time here easier.

The third letter was a random thank you note to Mr. Ollivander at the wand library. I wanted to thank him again for trusting me with a special wand even if it hadn't done anything quite special yet. I also wanted to ask after his health, and to make sure he was doing well. His small store was quite dusty and it's not so good for the lungs when you're older like him. I even included a small dusting spell I'd learned to help him keep his shop spotless.

Owl was perched on a high ledge but seemed to perk up when he saw me. I held a hand full of treats out. He hopped up and down, flapping his wings agitatedly but eating the treats none the less. It seemed Owl shared my gluttony more than it could hold a grudge. "I'm sorry Owl," I chirped, excited to have a pet eat from my palm for the first time. "I'll try to make more time for you."

A few more treats and an attachment of my letters and he was off. As I watched Owl fly off into the distance, I noticed a small familiar spec marching across the grounds that I hadn't seen all day. "Leanne…" It was a whisper on my own lips as I tried to recall why I hadn't noticed her missing from any of our classes today. Her presence had become so small in this recent week, it was like she had shrunk herself out of anyone's notice. Or at least out of mine.

" _One of you is going to die before the school year is out."_

I was too busy soaking up my recent success with ranking highest out of all the Hufflepuff first years, being the cool kid that punched another student with special wandless magic and making all these cool new friends. I had allowed for one of the kindest people here to melt away. The only Hufflepuff first year to still speak to me, share a smile with me, when no one else would. I watched her sure steps and a sense of foreboding overcame me.

Quickly as I could, I ran down from the owlery. It was almost time for dinner and I knew exactly where that jerk Maxwell would be. In the Great Hall, hogging the dinner rolls.

As soon as I rounded the corner and pushed passed the students filing in for the evening meal, I saw Maxwell Creevy, eating rolls directly out of the basket he'd pulled in front of himself. That was in no way a likeness of myself and my love of bread.

I marched right over and snatched the basket away from him. "What the hell do you think you're doing, pip-squeak?"

"Leanne's been missing from all of her classes today," I sneered, ignoring his insult, "And then earlier I saw her outside. Where is she going?"

Maxwell's face turned a bit sour, but he managed to grab the bread basket back. "We're not attached at the hip, you know? Besides, what the hell do you care? She doesn't even like you."

"Yeah, and I'm sure you had nothing to do with that," I accused. He let it roll off him, unaffected. "Besides, you haven't said that you don't know what she's up to, now out with it already."

Maxwell chewed slowly, scanning the room. I'm almost sure he was looking for Cedric. A slow smile crept upon his face. "Fine, you want to know that badly do you, Number One." I tried to remain stern but his sudden and immediate helpfulness threw me for a loop. "Leanne came to me begging for a way that she could prove herself more capable than any of you lot. She was desperate for a way to show _you_ up in particular. The precious McGowen who's only been ranked first because of your birth parents." Maxwell shook the crumbs from his robes. "So, I told her, if she wanted to show she was better than any of you, she had to do something that none of you have yet to accomplish."

"And what is that?" I'd had enough of him dancing around the issue.

His smile turned patronizing. "A Task, stupid girl. She's on her way to complete her first Task."


	19. Chapter 19: Rounding Up The Troops

" _The dead can scream through Hellgates, and they often try to. They want to pass messages to the living. But it all sort of comes out in these loud high-pitched wails that'll burst your eardrums if you're in tuned enough to the other side to hear them cry."_

 _-Cho Chang_

Chapter 19: Rounding Up The Troops

"Well out with it. We're missing the great feast," Daphne huffed with crossed arms, foot tapping in impatience.

I wrung my fingers together. I had waited outside the Great Hall until I spotted Dean and Daphne both separately making their way inside the Great Hall. I grabbed them both and had them follow me into a nearby Elf broom closet.

Time really wasn't on my side here, but I didn't know exactly how to ask them for help. Or if I even had the right to. At the very least, I needed information that only they may be able to give me. If Cedric found out what I intended to do, he'd definitely not let me go. "Well?" Dean asked after his stomach growled embarrassingly loud.

"I need help," I blurted out before cocking my head in thought. "Well not specifically me. But I need help to _help_ someone. I need to know…um…anything you may know about Trolls." They both blinked up at me and I suddenly yellow-bellied out of asking them to come with me. I mean, how do you ask your advisors to complete advisor duties if they didn't even know they were advisors yet? "I'm not asking either of you to risk anything for me! I just, there's someone that might get really hurt. She might be hurt right now. And I want to know how I can help her before she goes and gets herself-um…before she…" I wrung my hands nervously again, bouncing on my toes. I was torn between bolting out the closet door after Leanne and staying to possibly hear if either of them had any sensible solution to how to sub…submit? _Subdue_ a troll. Subdue.

"Mary," Dean started slowly. "What have you gotten yourself mixed up in?"

If only you knew. "I. Um." I felt my throat close around my words.

"Dean's right, Mary," Daphne said in the same tone. She placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, as if she was trying to calm an excited baby. "Whatever it is, you don't want anything to do with Trolls. They're extremely dangerous. You should tell the headmaster-"

"NO!" I panicked. I could feel a burning behind my eyes. The thought of telling someone about this or explaining any of this to anyone else, made me feel sick. And the thought of Leanne out there all alone, trying to claw her way from the bottom of the ranking, made me want to cry. "No, I can't do that. And I can't answer any of your questions. I really just…CAN'T."

"Mary-"

"I mean it, Dean!"

Just then, I heard my name. I jumped up and yanked on the metal beaded light switch and peaked out into the hall. It was Cedric. "MARY!" He shouted, the loudest I had ever heard him. He took off away from the Great Hall, down the corridor. "MARY!"

My breath hitched in my chest. The panic in Cedric's eyes when he whipped around. There was only one explanation. He knew.

"Mary," Daphne whispered. "Why are we hiding from Cedric?"

With a sigh, I turned the light to the closet back on. I was running out of time. Every minute wasted was a minute more danger Leanne was in, out there by herself.

" _One of you is going to die before the school year is out."_

"I can't let Cedric stop me," I said now, more determined than ever. "And I can't let either of you stop me. And I'm running out of time so, I need to know now." I squared my shoulders and looked them in the eye. "Are you going to help me or not?"

They were staring again. Just when I was going to turn around and leave them here, determined to go it alone, Dean spoke up. "You have a necklace. The one with the cross on it."

I nodded. "Yes. It's back in my room. Why?"

"I read somewhere that trolls fear symbols of Christianity. Many years ago, Christian muggle Crusaders would hunt them down and kill them, driving them deep into the mountains."

Daphne nodded. "That's true. But that's also part of the reason why they are so violent. They're really, very stupid creatures. But they know people think they are stupid and so, to make themselves feel important, they like to make deals. You can try reasoning with a troll, but they're very impatient and become extremely violent when you go back on your word." Daphne sighed, pulling down one of her elaborate top knots in frustration. "That's if they haven't already eaten you before you can get a word in edgewise."

I nodded, soaking this all in and wondering if Leanne knew any of these things either.

Cedric talked to me about the seven Acts, but he only briefly mentioned tasks. And he never mentioned they'd be anything like what Maxwell Creevey shared. He'd given his task to Leanne and, if completed, would show Helga Hufflepuff that Leanne was a strong contender for the crown. Stronger than any of us.

"Thank you, guys," I said with a forced smile. "I appreciate the help, now I have to go."

Dean snorted and opened the closet door. "Lead the way. I'm not letting you go confront a troll alone."

"Dean-"

"That's it," he frowned, pulling his wand out from his robes. "Now let's go before someone sees us."

We were just about to step out of the closet before stopping to look at Daphne. She seemed to be having an internal conversation with herself. "Daphne," I grimaced. Gryffindor were brave, foolish, and extremely loyal. It wasn't a complete stretch that Dean would follow. Especially since my time in the nurse's office. He seemed to suddenly prefer my company more than Seamus', much to my cousin's…dis… _dis_ …what was the word?...Oh, he don't like it much. "It's okay. You don't have to come with."

She closed her eyes and scrunched her nose before groaning and storming out of the closet. "Just consider us even after this! Where are we going anyway?"

"First, Hufflepuff house. I need to get my cross. Then, the west bank of the Deep Lake."

Daphne was confused, and for good reason. "Okay, we can't ask why we're doing all of this. Can I at least ask _what_ you need to do so bad?"

"On the west bank, there's a family of trolls that have settled in there. They're migrating closer and closer to the school. The Task is to drive them back to the mountains by any means, and before any other students get hurt." I hesitated to share the next bit but if they were coming, they deserved to know. "Leanne has run off to do this alone. And if I don't stop her, or help her, she might get herself killed."

(Lidia- This chapter is short and so I'll try my best to get the next update up as quickly as possible, which on HP might take longer due to validation. Thank you to everyone sticking with me. I try to update fairly quickly because one- I will be starting a new job next month that will take up a lot of my attention in the beginning and a lot of time in general. And two- I'm already excited for the romantic plans I have for the trio after they get older. Nothing really set in stone, but I have a pretty good idea how I plan to have things end up and I'm excited to see how you all will feel about it after watching Dean, Mary, and Daphne grow up in a similar way we did with the Golden trio. Lol Hopefully you all stick with me that long!)


	20. Chapter 20: Fearless Trust in God

" _If things ever get really bad, a powerful Seer can always summon Death for assistance. But it comes at a price…"_

 _-Blaise Zabini_

Chapter 20: Fearless Trust In God

Crucifix in one hand, wand in the other, we were sneaking off the castle grounds. "We have to hurry you guys!" I panted when we finally came up on the lake, "She's been out here a while now."

"Tell me again why we're helping any of those Huffle-jerks," Daphne huffed, clearly out of breath. "They don't even like you!"

"Daphne please!" I needed to think! I looked to my right, and then to my left. Was West always to the right? How does east and west work? "Which way is west?!"

Dean looked around before picking up a stick and walking up to the edge of the Black Lake. To the East turned into the Azure lake and to the west, it turned into the Deep Lake. Further north is the Opal Canal. Collectively, it's known as the Great Lake. The territories were mainly divided by the occupying creatures. From what I knew, the Mermaids, the Sea Jackals, and a giant squid occupied the Black Lake. I was disappointed to hear that mermaids, or _Merpeople_ really, weren't like Disney Princess Ariel. They hate witches, wizards, and regular people even more.

"OrbiDEN," Dean muttered, tapping the tip of his wand to the forked end of the stick. "Seamus has been really obsessed with wilderness survival magic lately." Dean set the stick in the lake water. "Says it's important for real men to learn these things. Guess it came in handy huh." The stick spun around in the water a few times, bobbed back and forth, and then settled to the right. "That's our west."

I couldn't help but awe at Dean. He was more than a boy that kicked books. He was really…impressive. "That was amazing, Dean!"

Instead of shying away at the attention, he leaned into it with a smirk. "I try. I try."

Daphne snorted. "If you two are done fawning over each other, we should get going after Leanne?"

I didn't know what fawning meant but she was right. We needed to get moving. "You're right. Let's go!" And we were off on a run again.

"Not so fast!" Daphne begged, "Are you half-were or something?!"

I slowed down to a more reasonable speed where Dean and Daphne could keep up. I suppose it was a little difficult to run along this crisp dewy grass in our dress shoes. And I suppose it was important to keep a manageable pace. We had quite a way to go. The Great Lake is large.

The march was silent for a long time. A couple shivers ran up my spine as we skirted the edge of the forbidden forest, coming around the bend. For a long while, there was nothing but the crunch of frozen blades of grass beneath our feet, the accidental kick of a rock, and a large breath from one of the two behind me. The ground became rocky, less beaten, and less traveled. We were now on the other side of the forbidden forest entry and could no longer see the school. The tall trees blocked the view of our safety net. It made us feel like we were really out here now. We were really on our own. There was no one to spot us and turn us around now. The only thing visible behind us was the small sliver of beach where we began. The stick was far behind us.

I wonder how Leanne felt when she walked this far. Was there that same feeling for her of 'No going back now'? Did it steel her nerves or make her waver? Did she even come this far?

"Look," Daphne pointed. Ahead was a patch of very soft and muddy earth. In it were footprints. Small foot prints. They were Leanne's! They had to be! So, she had continued on. "Uh, oh. That isn't good." The closer we got, you could see a small smattering of smooth rocks in the mud. One had a shiny red smear on it.

"You're right," Dean frowned. "That's fresh blood."

I looked between my two friends. "Well? What's wrong?" I gestured toward the rock. "It just looks like a little scrape."

Dean shook his head. "You don't understand, Mary. Trolls are blood thirsty."

Daphne nodded in agreement. "If the troll she has come to encounter, has ever tasted human flesh, there's no way it's going to be able to ignore the smell of her blood. It's going to want to devour her."

I paled at this new information before marching at an even faster pace. "C'mon. We have to hurry. We have to hurry and save Leanne." Cedric's words of ritual sacrifice kept ringing in my ears. Why couldn't we just slaughter a goat? He couldn't be serious. You can't just murder children at a school. You can't just do that. You can't.

"If there's anything left to save," Daphne mumbled before receiving a sharp elbow from Dean. I pretended not to hear that. The blood on that rock wasn't even dry yet. She couldn't be too far ahead of us.

We continued on long after the glow of twilight had faded. Weird sounds of growling and something like collective chattering teeth emanated from the nearby forest. If you listened closely enough, you could even hear…music?

"Lumos," I whispered, the others following suit. Our three wands lit the way. My instincts cried that these lights on our small inexperienced and frightened faces may attract the wrong attention, but we were close. We were now skirting the Deep Lake and coming up on the west bank. Smoke rose from a large collection of boulders ahead. They glowed red like a campfire had been lit. Loud, unintelligible voices reached us.

Dean tapped us each on the shoulder, holding a finger to his lips, letting us know it was no longer safe to speak. He lowered his wand and extinguished the light. Daphne and I took his queue. A part of me was incredibly impressed again. If Gryffindor had any special crowning ceremony and Dean needed me as an advisor, I'd gladly sign up. He was kinglier than I right now in how he thought ahead, so we did not draw the attention of the trolls.

Daphne, equally as impressive, made sure I looked to her before she lifted her robes and demonstrated taking very high, exaggerated footsteps. This was to avoid accidentally kicking any rocks and alerting what we were now sure were trolls occupying the tall rocks of the Deep Lake's west bank.

As we crept up onto one particular rock, we could get a clear view of the clearing inside.

There was a small fire. Over it, a large wolf skewered in a long spear rested skinned, cooked, and missing stomach. Two large and grey giants, one slender and toned, and one with rolls of stretched greenish fat rolling over its joints, sat fighting over what could only be a single bite of meat between the two of them.

"Knock it off," croaked a third troll. She was a much older woman, stout and only one or two heads taller than myself, held a straw and mud doll in her hand and stared at it intensely. It reminded me of what I expected to see at the castle. Some sort of voodoo doll maybe?

The two older males immediately paused, the skinnier one winning the fight. The fat one leaned onto his belly, reaching his hand into the fire as if he felt nothing, and tearing away more wolf meat. I jerked back around the side of the boulder, almost sure it had seen me. Daphne's brow was furrowed and one foot stuck out as if she expected to have to run at a moment's notice. Dean kept looking around though I doubted he could see anything in this darkness. The only glow of light came from this troll campfire and it didn't extend very far due to the cover of rocks.

When I heard what I was sure was the scrape of tough troll skin belly leaning back again, I ventured another peak. They were preoccupied again. Where was Leanne? Leanne? My eyes widened like saucers. They settled on a barely conscious Leanne. Her head rolled back and forth on the large rock she rested against. Two vines twined around her head, gagging her mouth and making a complete mess of her hair. A large patch of that hair was missing. Blood dripped from her scalp and there were tiny gravelly rocks stuck to the blood on her face.

I couldn't hold back the gasp, when I noticed her leg. She was bound by thick vines around her shoulders and torso. But her leg…it was broken and pointing in a completely unnatural direction. Several sets of vicious bite marks riddled the limb. Vines seemed to be all that held her leg together. Crumpled soft leaves and caked mud all red were packed into the bites beneath the vines. It looked mangled, as if she'd been attacked by a savage animal. But it was clear no animal had done this to her.

It was trolls.

I made to duck behind my rock again while I formulated some sort of rescue that wouldn't result in all our legs being chewed up. As I moved to come back around, my eyes locked with small old female troll.

I'd been spotted.

Possibly trolls were like dinosaurs? If I didn't move, maybe she wouldn't see me?

"Boys," A low frog-like voice croaked. A large grin spread across the old troll's wide face. "We have company!"

Dean and Daphne froze at the loud growling laughs that echoed in the dark as the mongrels got to their feet. "What are you doing?" I shouted. "Run!"

You didn't have to tell Daphne twice. She took off down the lake, Dean and I following closely behind.

As the ground vibrated beneath our feet I pulled out my wand and took a peak over my shoulder. "Lumos!"

Large beasts were gaining on us. Their ear flopped around like a dog's. The old troll woman rode on the shoulder of the heavier troll while the slender one took large leaps. Leanne dangled from the larger one's grasp, wailing. I could out run it maybe. When I looked to Daphne who Dean and I had easily caught up with, I realized she wouldn't.

I stopped and turned around. It was time to see if there was anything to Dean's crucifix theory. "Verdimillious!" I shouted with my wand in the air. Green sparks flew up and lit the area. I put on my crucifix and held it out for the trolls to see. They slowed to a jog and stopped before me

"More babes!" The slender troll clapped. His large hands clapped together in excitement that boomed over me. It created its own breeze that ruffled my tangled uncombed hair. "Maah Maah! Cann'e eat this'sun?"

Dean was back. He tried to pull me behind him, but I dug in my feet. I only had one cross and anyway, this was my idea. What kind of Queen would I be if I couldn't protect my friends? "What is this?" the old woman chuckled. She slid down the arm of the meaty monster. "Little witch has heard of the great troll _weakness_. Oooh not the crucifix." Spittle flew out of her mouth as she laughed and her companions laughed as well. My eyes found Leanne who was awake and alert. The skin that showed on half her face was pale and covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

As the old thing waddled closer to me, my hand began to shake. I was terrified. What was I doing out here? What was any of this? Why would Helga send someone, anyone, to do something like Maxwell to confront monsters like these? And even him. Did he have so little regard for Leanne's life that he allowed her to come out here alone?

Now I know why his boxed salamander face stretched into that wide grin when he told me where Leanne had been off to. Now I truly understood the wild look in Cedric's eyes and the desperation in his voice when he searched for me.

These trolls were the part of the magic world that I wasn't ready for yet. This must be what dark magic looked like.

Dean squeezed my shoulder, either in reassurance or fear, I couldn't tell. But it brought me back to the present. "I-I-." My voice wavered. Steady, Mary. Steady. "I am here to make a deal." Daphne stood a few paces behind us, I imagine wand ready. Did she know of any spells to knock out a troll? I certainly didn't in this moment. Every spell circled the edges of my grasp. I couldn't reach anything and pull it down and out of my mouth. I feel like even my wand felt the danger we were in. It hummed in my grasp, ready for me to even think of anything useful.

"A deal?!" She laughed again. The larger trolls seemed to echo the smaller one's moods. It laughed, they laughed. It scoffed, they scoffed. It frowned, they frowned. They all seemed so in tuned with each other. "You have nothing I want false Crusader." Her small but strong hand reached up and grabbed my necklace. With a strong yank, my face was pulled inches from its own. Jagged teeth snarled. Its breath smelled like old pennies and road kill. "We already have one babe. We trade her. We only need the one."

I whimpered when it's clawed hand left the crucifix and grabbed hold of my face. I could feel the strength in that tiny hand. It could break my jaw. It _would_ break my jaw. "T-the Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?" I didn't know where the thought came from to recite a Psalm but that seemed to loosen the hold momentarily. "The Lord is the defense of my life. Whom shall I dread?"

Her hand jerked back, jagged nails catching against my skin and drawing blood. The old troll took an entire step away from me, but the smirk never left its face. "So, you memorized a few lines of the Bible? Clever little witch, but I am not convinced."

It was shaken. I could tell. Something in me like an intuition could read its emotions through its golden eyes. There seemed to be a sort of intelligence that was missing from the gray milky gaze of her larger companions. "When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell."

"Shut up!" The greenish troll howled. His fist holding Leanne came down and smashed into the ground. The bruised side of her face made an audible thud against the earth and she looked to be unconscious, if the impact hadn't killed her.

The small troll held its hand up to halt the oncoming tantrum, with the doll dangling from a string wrapped around its wrist. The other hand waved its claws back and forth before its nose. It reminded me of the way Mama smelled wine. "A Magi," it finally whispered. "A genuine Magi." I glanced at Dean, but he shrugged.

"And are these your attendings?" It waved a lazy finger the general direction of Dean and Daphne.

The three of us shared a look. "Yes," I nodded slowly. "These are my Advisors. I'm sorry. Magi?"

She licked the blood from her fingers and eyes widened in shock. "Seer," she whispered in awe, eyes fixed to my face.

"Maah Maah?" The fat one hobbled forward but the older female, _Maah Maah_ , dropped to her knees and pressed her forehead to the dirt.

"Bow! Bow down children!" Begrudgingly, the larger trolls went to their knees and bowed. We had to back away to make room for their large bowing torsos.

When the big one bowed over Leanne, his wide amphibian like lips peeled back around jagged teeth, and his pinkish grey tongue peaked out to lap at the dried blood on Leanne's face. She whimpered in response but didn't seem to come to. "Leave her alone!" I cried. The troll, suddenly aware of the attention on himself, closed his mouth but did not relinquish his hold on Leanne's broken body. Her leg still sat at an impossible angle underneath her.

Maah Maah turned her head to one of her sons and let out something between a yell and a bark before pressing her face to the dirt again. "Forgive us, little Magi. We did not know you were a Seer."

I made to speak, to ask her what that had to do with anything, but Daphne clapped a hand over my mouth. "You speak to me, troll," she huffed with narrowed eyes. "Do not dare to address her directly." The troll did not look pleased but did not argue. I was confused but Daphne gave me a quick wink. "We have come for the girl, and ask that you leave this place, back to your home, wherever that may be."

The troll sat up but remained on her knees. "Please! We cannot!" It pleaded. "Days ago, my youngest child walked away from our home in the middle of the night. But he is barely out of cloths. He would never just leave. He was taken by someone of your kind." She growled out that last bit and lowered her gaze. "I haven't the chance to teach him to defend his mind yet. He was vulnerable. And so, he was taken from our home and hasn't returned. We have tracked him this far. He was taken along this lake." She grasped the straw doll between her hands. "This is his birth token. Made from Earth and placenta." Daphne made a gagging sound just then. What's a placenta? "I can feel him through it. He is alive, and he is not far. We intend to make a deal," she held a hand out toward Leanne. "One of your babes, for my own."

So that was why they were here? She was just a mother looking for her child. I glanced down to Leanne. What they had done to her. This wouldn't have happened if her child wasn't missing. There was sincerity in her gaze, but they were still monsters. I could not ignore that either. Daphne shrugged. "There is no proof that your child didn't just wander off-"

"Trolls do not leave the hills!" She snapped. "We keep to ourselves. To our territory. We do not enjoy being this close to those filthy cheating Fae or you deceitful humans. But I go nowhere without my son." And that was final for her.

"So," I began, ignoring the sharp look from Daphne. "If we can find your son, you will leave this place?"

She perked up, looking to me with hope in her melty face. "Yes. We will gladly depart."

"Then we will find him," I agreed with a frown. "But we will not go anywhere without Leanne."

Maah Maah's eyes narrowed. "How do we know you will keep your word if we give away our upper hand. The babe has value to you?"

Daphne spoke on my behalf again. "Not particularly. But she is dying and your… _son_ …clearly cannot keep his tongue in his mouth. It would be nothing greater than a death sentence, should we leave her here, without proper medical attention, in your care. We cannot just look the other way." Daphne grit her teeth together. "We will find your family. But we will leave here with the girl."

Maah Maah opened and closed her mouth several times. " _We are the Seeress's friendly companion_ ," she seemed to recite, "We cannot disobey if this is truly what the little Magi wishes." Her eyes found my own and I nodded in affirmation. "But heed my word. You wish not to break a deal with a Troll. _We are Swallower of the Heaven-wheel_. We will rain death on all that you love."

(Lidia- I hope you liked my trolls! Some troll resource info was pulled from Wikipedia. I tried to keep the descriptions as close to the troll depicted in the first movie as possible. The next chapter will surround the familiar incident when the troll that was let into Hogwarts during the Great Feast on Halloween night attacked the golden trio. Thank you for reading!)


	21. Chapter 21: A Guide In The Dark

" _If you think I'd tell you anything- YOU BROKE MY NOSE!"_

 _-Zachrias Smith_

Chapter 21: A Guide In The Dark

"Are you okay?" Dean winced but didn't come any closer. Leanne rested unconscious against his back, held tight by a sort of harness Daphne had fashioned out of my robes. She'd even torn parts to secure and…well…hold together Leanne's leg. Daphne was really good at tying all kinds of knots.

It was all getting to me. The trolls, our close brush with death, the smell that wafted up to me from Leanne's leg as we journeyed back around the lake. My stomach churned and before I knew it, I was throwing up. "I'm fine," I croaked, spitting up the last of it. I was careful not to get any on the birth totem dangling from my wrist. Maah Maah said if we showed this to her son when we found him, he'd trust us enough to return with us. "Let's just get Leanne back and find that troll."

"That won't be happening tonight." The three of us turned to see Cedric emerge from the dark thick brush of the forest, wand first. His face was completely unreadable. His eyes seemed to narrow when they settled on Dean and Leanne. "Follow me." Cedric didn't stop to see if we obeyed and didn't think it would be a very good idea not to.

We followed Cedric into the forest. He didn't speak and neither did we. I noticed Daphne glancing between the two of us, but I avoided her gaze. I could practically hear her questions from here. A couple yards into the forest, not far in enough to encounter any of the creepy sounds emanating from it, we came upon a very large, very wide, tree stump. Cedric spit onto his palm, ew, and pressed it to the surface of the stump for a moment before stepping back.

There was a low rumbling cracking sound as the roots of the stump pulled themselves from the earth. It stood and walked itself out of the way to reveal a large hole and ladder. "Climb in."

Daphne grasped at my hand, giving me another one of those looks almost demanding that I explain. "It's okay Daphne. We should do as Cedric says for now," I smiled before climbing down into the hole. When my feet touched the ground, I looked around and things immediately felt familiar. This earthy tunnel looked almost identical to the tunnels that led to all our after-school lesson rooms. It certainly went on farther than we first-years had ever been allowed to go, but all the way underneath the forbidden forest?

Dean came down the ladder next, very carefully. Then Daphne, and finally Cedric. The stump crawled back over, blocking the little moonlight shining into the dark space. "What is this?" Daphne whispered into the dark.

I was too afraid to attempt to answer with Cedric right there. I could feel anger rolling off him in waves, despite how calm he looked. When he got me to our abandoned classroom in the restricted corridor, I was going to get an earful.

Cedric whistled a tune. Low tempo, with a few high-pitched notes. Shortly after, burrowing out of the sides of the walls came several fireflies lighting the way. We followed after them, turning down many different tunnels. How Cedric knew whether to make a left, right, or straight, was beyond me. There were hills and doors we passed. At one point we could hear laughter and dishes clanging. "The Great Hall," Dean gasped. The light of a small hole shone on his face and when he looked in, he could see everyone attending the Great Feast. His stomach growled again.

"Don't fall behind," Cedric snapped. We came up on a door to our right. "This is you Slytherin." Cedric went to open the door. "You're going to slip into the Great Hall, go to your table. And you're going to keep your mouth shut about all of this."

"About what?" She muttered to herself with a frown. None of her questions had been answered but she snapped her narrowed gaze at me to let me know, this wasn't over.

Cedric opened the door made of cobbled stone, so it disappeared into the wall. As he and Daphne peaked out, they darted back in. "What is it?" I asked.

"It's Professor Quirrel," Daphne whispered. "He's standing outside the Great Hall."

Curious, we all peaked out the door. Sure enough, there was Professor Quirrell standing outside the closed door of the Great Hall. "Ehem," he coughed. "Mi mi mi mi miiiiiii. Aaah aaah AAAH aaaah AAAAAAAH."

Dean snickered. "What's he doing?"

Professor Quirrell then grasped at his own face. "Troll in the- ehm. Um. Troll! Troll in the castle. Troll in the CASTLE!- Oh I know. I need to sell this! Ehem. Troll in the _dungeon_!"

"I think he's, talking to himself," Daphne said in an equally amused voice.

True, it was amusing but- "Did you hear what he said?" I held up the straw doll tied to my wrist.

Daphne frowned. "Ew, don't touch it."

I ignored her. "He said Troll in the castle. It's here! The troll! We have to get it!"

Cedric closed the wall door again. " _We_ aren't doing anything. Dean is going to give Leanne to me so Professor Sprout can take a look at her-"

"No!" I protested, standing myself between him and Cedric. Daphne and Dean again were confused. "Not Professor. Leanne needs Madame Pomphrey. She needs real help."

Cedric's voice became something sickeningly sweet and, and, _condescending_. "Mary, Leanne's going to get just the help she needs with Sprout," he smiled. "We don't have time to sit here and argue about it. She could succumb to her injuries at any moment."

"Yeah," I sneered, "You and Sprout would like that wouldn't you."

No one was expecting that from me. Cedric looked as if he'd been smacked, wounded, but beneath all that, guilty. "Mary!" Dean gasped.

Even Daphne was surprised. "Why would you say something like that? It's certainly not _Cedric's_ fault that Leanne ran off trying to do Merlin knows what to a group of _trolls_. By herself! What else would she have expected to happen?"

I looked back at Leanne resting against Dean's back. Sweat beading on her forehead now. No one could tell, but her eyes were small and squinting open. I felt like she was looking right at me. She needed my help. I couldn't let Cedric hand her over to Professor Sprout. Leanne wasn't a goat and I wasn't going to let them turn her into one. "Dean and Daphne are taking Leanne to Madame Pomphrey." I jabbed a finger into Cedric's chest. "And _you and I_ are going to go get that troll."

Cedric conceded, knowing there was no negotiating this with me. Instead he turned to Dean and Daphne. "You two keep forward. You're going to make two lefts and a right. There is a crawl space that opens under a bed. You'll have to unstrap Leanne from your back to get her through. You tell Madame Pomphrey you found her passed out in the castle like this, and that there is a troll inside. She'll lock you guys down there in the nurse wing and you'll be safe."

Dean nodded, "Two lefts and a right. Got it."

"What if Madame Pomphrey asks questions-"

Cedric waved Daphne off after Dean. "Leanne's a Hufflepuff. She won't be asking you too many questions. Now go."

Daphne looked horrified and lost but ran to catch up to Dean and Leanne.

As soon as they were out of ear shot, Cedric grabbed my wrist so hard, I thought it would bruise. "You really ARE STUPID!"

As soon as I wringed myself loose, I was immediately pulled into the tightest hug I think…I think I'd ever gotten. I don't get a lot of hugs. I think Mama hugged me a couple times. Papa probably hugged me once. "Why are you so damned stupid," he choked out. It was such a pathetic sound, I felt almost bad for yelling at him. The brief flash of his panicked face as he ran down the hall yelling my name, crossed my mind. And remembering how we found Leanne…Cedric must have been so worried.

I didn't know how to console someone. I reached a hand out and patted him on the back. "There, there," I mumbled. "I'm fine. I did it. I found Leanne."

Cedric scoffed but let me go. "The point wasn't for you to find Leanne. You don't get it, do you? The price is going to be paid. There's no getting around it, no matter how hard you try. _One of you will die._ And if Leanne lives, there's no guarantee that it won't be paid by…someone else." One of his large hands ran down his face. "You can't stop it, Mary. You can try, but you may just end up getting yourself killed too. It doesn't have to just be one of you."

I paled but didn't cower in front of him. I wouldn't let him see how frightened I was but I'm sure he had seen me throw up back at the lake. "I don't believe that," I challenged, "I don't have to either." I held up the doll to him, effectively changing the subject. "You want to be my Guide so bad, then you help me find that troll."

"Mary, you don't know the first thing about killing a troll."

"Well good thing I don't as I'm not gonna kill it. I made a deal with its Mama. I get the troll back to her alive, and they go home to the hills."

Cedric kneeled, gripped my shoulders, firmly but less bruising this time. "You want your live troll, Mary, then we'll get your live troll. But listen to me very carefully. Look me in the eyes- that's it. I want you to remember this bit of advice for the rest of your life. Do not ever, EVER, make deals with non-human magic users. Not a troll and _especially_ not a fairy."

There was a loud bang behind us coming from the Great Hall. "Troll in the dungeon! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON!" It was Professor Quirrell. He had stirred the students into a panic. The teachers were making their way down to the dungeons. Students were getting back to their common rooms.

"Dammit," Cedric cursed. "We can't let the teachers get that troll. Anyway, if there's a troll in the building, it's not in the dungeons." Cedric pulled out his wand, tapping it against his pant leg in thought. "We passed the dungeons on the way here. We definitely would have heard it."

I pulled out my wand as well, following suit. "Then where do we start looking?"

Just then, there was a loud scream, followed by a crashing noise. "Follow me." Cedric began running down the tunnel, making a sharp left. Shortly, we came up on a two-way glass mirror. Was this how Cedric spied on girls in the toilet? There was no time to look up at him in disappointment. Hermione ducked out of sight, under our sink. Harold dangled from the troll's grasp.

"Ron," I whispered when I spotted him to the side pulling his wand with that terrified look on his face.

"You know Ronald Weasley," Cedric questioned.

I quickly shook my head. "He's Dean's friend." Cedric raised a brow, but I ignored it. Ron had managed to knock the troll unconscious and soon teachers were clamoring into the room. "Oh, why did they have to but in!" I stamped, furious at Harry Potter and his friends once more. If Hermione hadn't been screaming her head off, the teachers would still be combing the dungeons.

"This isn't good," Cedric winced. "We can't let them leave Quirrell alone with that troll."

I looked up at Cedric. So, he was having the same feelings toward Quirrell that I was. "What do we do?" Everyone was leaving now. Hermione had lied to help _Harry_ and Ron and it seemed everyone thought our DADA teacher was the best one to clean up the mess.

"You stay right here. I'm going to create a distraction." Cedric began walking away. "When he leaves the bathroom, we'll have a small window of opportunity to get it out of the school while the halls are empty."

I stood there alone. Just me, Quirrell, and the troll. "Stupid. Stupid!" Quirrell shouted, delivering a swift kick to a nearby plank of wood.

A scratchy voice drifted out into the air. _"I grow weary of your failures, Quirinus."_

My eyes searched the room, even glancing at the troll with suspicion for a few moments. There was no one else in the room. Where had that voice come from. Professor Quirrell unwrapped his purple turban. On the back of his head was the gray profile of a monster. "I am sorry, my Lord."

" _Keep your worthless apologies."_ The second face was smooth, almost looked like it was made of smoke. It wiggled similar to someone getting comfortable on a cramped couch.

"It was Severus," Quirrell spat. "He knew what I was going for the stone. If he hadn't stopped me…Master…if we could just tell him-"

" _Silence!"_ The face hissed. _"It is you I chose, Quirinus. It is you who will get me that damned Philosopher's stone. Do this, or I will dispose of you and find someone else to do what you clearly cannot,"_ it hissed. Those black eyes moved back and forth and for a moment, I almost thought it saw me. The way it squinted in my direction.

But I stood behind a mirror. Maybe it was looking at itself.

In that moment, there was a loud bang that shook the entire bathroom. "Fire!" I heard one of the portraits scream. Professor Quirrell immediately wrapped his back around his head and darted out of the bathroom. That must have been Cedric's distraction. I wonder what he set on fire?

I bounced on the tips of my toes, waiting for Cedric to round the bend of the tunnel but he wasn't coming. Minutes ticked by and still no Cedric. Where was he? Did he get caught? Oh, if he didn't make it back in time, Quirrell and his second face would be back. Then what would happen to the troll. "Cedric," I hissed down the tunnel, but there was no response. More foot steps back and forth and screams from the portrait. I didn't think there was much time.

On a split-second decision, I press both hands on the mirror glass and, instead of it opening like a trap door, I fell right through.

My jaw banged against the sink on the way down. That was going to bruise. Scurrying to my feet, I scooted around to the head of the troll and poked it with my foot. "Um. Wake up," I muttered, wondering if I really wanted it to. It sneezed but didn't budge. I kicked harder. "Wake up you lazy hound dog!" Still nothing. I huffed, stirring the knotted bangs of my hair. They'd grown too long to be called bangs anymore I think. Walking over to the bathroom door, I attempted to open it, so I could take a peek at my exit strategy. The door wouldn't budge. "Oh no!" I whined. Professor had not only locked the door, but he reinforced it to keep the troll inside. "Mary. Mary why didn't you just wait." I ran over to the mirror, climbing up on the sink trying to get back inside the secret door. No luck. When I pressed onto the glass, I was met with resistance. When I tried to lift it from the bottom, I got old gum stuck to my fingertips. "Yuck!" I tried wiping the sticky gum onto my skirt. It was already dirty. What was a little more gunk? My peripheral vision picked up movement in the mirror and I looked behind me to meet large golden eyes over my shoulder.

It sniffed and sniffed again. Each exhale blew a familiar troll breathy stench into my face. "You smell like Maah Maah," It spoke, leaving me in temporary shock until it shouted. "What did you do to Maah Maah?!"

Its fist reared back, ready to strike. "No wait!" I cried ducking out of the way. I scurried under its arm and planted myself against the far bathroom wall. "I didn't do anything to Maah Maah. Look! Look!" I held out the doll around my wrist. "Maah Maah gave this to me. She wants you to come with me." The troll lowered its fist, recognizing the doll. "Yes. I'm here to take you home."

"Home," it grumbled again. I looked carefully into its eyes, not making any sudden moves.

I untied the doll from my wrist and extended it to the troll. "Home," I repeated.

He slowly reached out, like a racoon scared and hungry. A small part of me sympathized with it. As he pulled the doll from me, a bean in his giant fist, I could sense how it was feeling. Scared, confused, lost. I smiled at it, careful not to show any teeth. I didn't know how I knew, but I felt that would be a bad idea. Gradually, the troll smiled back. I had gained its trust. Thank Jesus its mother gave me that doll. "I want go home." He spoke in grunts but there was that same intelligence in its eyes I saw in the smaller trolls.

Cedric still wasn't back. The commotion outside was dying down and I had to think quick.

In the bathroom, was a large window. Not large enough for either of this troll's brothers to fit, but large enough for this big baby troll to squeeze. I slapped my hands against the colorful flower mosaic. "Smash this."

The troll looked confused. "Smash?"

I ran over, picking up its club and handing it to him, but keeping my distance. My mind still conjured the smells of vomit and Leanne's leg. "Break it! Then we jump."

"But," it looked down at the club, "Pretty."

" _What_?"

"Pretty flower. No smash."

"Smash it."

"No want."

I growled and stamped my foot before pulling out my wand. Who knew trolls liked flowers? "Flipendo!"

Glass shattered outward. The noise had attracted attention. I could hear footsteps returning. Similar to how I'd noticed the small troll ride the larger one, I quickly scaled up the back of the troll. I gained traction on its back fat and fisted the vest. "Hurry! Professor Quirrell's coming back! You need to jump," I hissed.

It scooted toward the edge, lifting a both legs over the windowsill and crouching down. It almost wasn't far enough. Jagged glass poking from the top of the frame snagged some of my hair. I was able to move in time before it cut me.

The last thing I wanted to do was bleed around a troll.

It finally made the leap. The jarring impact with the floor almost made me lose my hold on him. "Run!" I ordered, kicking my heels like he was a horse. "Hurry!"

There was no real hurry in its steps, but it bounced along away from the castle. I found myself ignoring Cedric's words again.

And almost as soon as I thought of him, did I see him pop out from a nearby bush. "Mary! Get down from there!"

I gasped, surprise causing me to instinctively let go and fall to the hard, cold ground. "Cedric. What…How did you just-"

Cedric held out a hand to help me up while the young troll hovered nearby. He didn't seem violent at all and looked almost sorry to have dropped me. "After I set that tapestry on fire, I couldn't get back into the tunnels so easily. I honestly guessed at you doing something like and came here to head you off before you tried doing anything stupid. Again." I cringed at his tone but couldn't argue that that was exactly what I was just doing. "Tell your new friend to follow along. We've already been at this for too long."

I fell in line behind Cedric, motioning for the young troll to come with. When I turned back to take a quick peak at our escaped window, it was to see Professor Quirrell looking down at us. He didn't move or speak or make any attempt to try stopping us. He just stood there.

I hoped that, from this distance, he wouldn't be able to recognize me or Cedric. I guess I would find out when we returned.

(Lidia- Hey everyone! Thank you for your patience! I didn't really have much time- none really- to proof read this so please forgive if there are more typos than usual. Next up, Mary gets her first peak into hell when she comes across the Hellgate.)


	22. Chapter 22: A Glimpse Into Hell

" _Music soothes the savage beast, but don't ever put a Cerberus guarding a Hellgate to sleep. In the tales of Merlin the Magnificent, his newest apprentice, an untrained seer, went mad. Apparently, he could hear the cries from the souls that had gathered on the other side. The presence of a Cerberus and its howl usually mutes this."_

 _-Marietta Edgecomb_

Chapter 22: A Glimpse into Hell

 _Clack…..clack….clack…clack…_

The halls were really very quiet today. Not all the older kids had class Fridays, so it was quite surprising to see the halls so empty. Giggles and squeals could be heard from outside on the grounds while some played in the first snowfall this mid-November. My footsteps echoed as a couple of paintings spared me a curious glance but otherwise said nothing.

I was doing a very bad thing today. I was skipping class.

It was my DADA class. Ever since Halloween I couldn't stand to be around Professor Quirrel. He always seemed to be trying to corner me and get me alone whether during classes or in the hall. My savior came in an unlikely form.

Professor Snape always seemed to be nearby. He always happened to urgently need my attention, or Quirrel's, any time it looked like he might want to talk to me. It seemed, he said, I was so good at cleaning cauldrons during my last detention that he absolutely couldn't find anyone else to help him do it any better. That he must insist that I, specifically, clean each and every class issued test cauldron and, as a student aid, I may receive points for Hufflepuff House for my efforts. The…the… _incentive_ …the incentive wasn't needed as I would have jumped at the opportunity to get away from two faced creepy Quirrel. Professor Snape, wasn't exactly warm, welcoming, friendly, talkative- he definitely was _not_ talkative, but I suppose I wasn't really looking for someone to talk to lately.

You see, Snape's sudden demand on almost all my free time helped me to avoid two other people. Dean and Daphne were, in the beginning, patient. They seemed to get that I was in no mood to speak, especially after Leanne was sent to St. Mungo's. She hasn't returned yet.

But as days went by, Daphne became more and more demanding for answers. Dean seemed to be a good buffer for her pestering in the beginning, but soon even he echoed the same sentiments. That they deserved the right to know after having risked their lives to do something for no specific reason? I really wanted to tell them. Really, I did. But each time I worked up the nerve to maybe reveal, even a little of what was going on, my throat would close. Alarm bells would ring in my head and I'd suddenly feel dizzy or queasy.

So, I began avoiding them too.

It was easy enough. Student aid duties in the potions dungeon, WMAC meetings, flying lessons with Cedric, and after class Hufflepuff secret lessons, it almost felt like I was genuinely too busy to have a chat with them.

The cherry on top was Cedric and his increasingly watchful eye. I didn't always see him, but it was like I could feel that he was around a corner or behind a tapestry watching me. His attitude had changed somewhat. He was a little more… _approachable_. He didn't seem so quick anymore to dismiss what I had to say and was less condescending. When we returned the baby troll to Mah Mah that day, and I gave her back her birth totem, the older mother troll smiled at me. The brothers had a strangely violent family reunion of punches and kicks to their missing little brother, who laughed through the abuse. Mah mah approached only as far as Cedric allowed for her to and held out something to me. It was a club, almost shaped like a carnival mallet. I had to hold it with two arms, as it was a bit heavy. _"A gift from my family. It is Un's baby raddle. This sort of thing can be useful to little Magi's such as yourself. Choose wisely."_ The little troll had bowed and led her family away. _"Well done, Mary,"_ Cedric smiled with a pat on the back. He made me carry the raddle all the way back to the dorms.

All of Hufflepuff house were awake and lounging about the common room. One sixth year girl stood in awe, immediately walking over and gliding her palm across the raddle. _"A troll relic! This is Blessed wood. Where did you get this?"_ It was Kiwi Scamander. She had a couple of friends but generally kept to herself. Cedric told me her grandfather's brother is Newton Scamander. He was a Hufflepuff many years ago but he's been cast out of the Cete. Cedric never told me what he did but apparently it was so bad, he was kicked out of school. No one would ever say what. Just that you should be wary to get too close to a Scamander because they've got traitor's blood. Cedric had steered me away from the girl, into Professor's room and ordered me straight to sleep.

A cold draft blew into the corridor, causing me to wrap my yellow and black badger scarf a bit tighter. I stuck my ungloved hands into my pockets. "Oh!" A Papercut! I completely forgot! After licking my finger, I pulled the small letter out of my pocket. Today, I had received a reply from Mr. Ollivander!

Nothing had come from Miss Tonks but I figured it was weird to write her in the first place. We were strangers. And she was a woman. I was just a kid she had to babysit a little so why would she write?

I turned another corner, smoothing out the crinkled paper, hopscotching my way down the hall.

 _Dear Miss Smith,_

 _It is peculiar to receive a letter of gratitude for an item that was purchased outright, but I thank you for the sentiment. Once more, thank you for giving that particular wand a home. I was beginning to think there would never be a wizard or witch born that wand would be satisfied with._

 _I appreciate your sentiment, but I have grown accustomed to the dust. Temperamental things these wands are. So much so that I cannot use magic to get them clean. Doing so could set off a chain reaction that could, and would, level my shop again._

I thought, 'again'?

 _If ever you find yourself in need of a wand polishing, the first one is free. Stop by any time._

 _-Garrick Ollivander_

"Polish it?" I mumbled to myself. I didn't know my wand would need polishing. I didn't know much of anything about my wand really. I pulled it out of the deep pocket of my robes and examined it. Did it look dusty? I didn't think so. There was no wear on it either. How old was this wand before I received it? It looked like Mr. Ollivander made it yesterday. But he very clearly told me his grandfather made it. And Mr. Ollivander himself, was very old. So, this wand might even be older than him.

A small part of me felt guilt at the idea that this old man was used to inhaling so much dust. Didn't he have kids to help him? I would write him another letter and ask- no. That was bad manners. I thought to myself as I turned a corner. Maybe I could ask my cousin Mrs. Finnegan for some Floo so I could get my wand polished? That sounds like a good idea.

Speaking of idea, I had no idea where I was. I looked up and around. I think I had instinctively circled the classroom where Cedric and I meet, but I had never walked this far down the third-floor corridor. There was a door, a door I needed to open. I had to open it. I was going to open it. My wand vibrated a warning in my palm. Not a warning to me but a warning to anything that would wind up on the wrong end of it. There was a small question whispering in the back of my mind asking why I was doing this. Even that we shouldn't do this.

My hand shot out like lightening under a power that wasn't my own. The bobble on my wrist glowed bright. What was on the other side of this door. A low threatening growl met me.

I swung that small battered door open and entered, wand at the ready, thrumming in my tightly closed wrist.

And before I could blink, I was lifted off my feet and knocked into the far wall of the room. "OOF!" I smacked shoulder first, unable to breathe for just a moment. Something wet, thick, and sticky dripped down onto my left leg and, after looking up to investigate, I discovered the source. A dog larger than I had ever seen in my life stood above me, one large paw it probably used to strike me, lifted and waiting.

I immediately thought of Clifford the Big Red Dog. He was large and friendly and loveable, but I think maybe that wasn't reasonable. This was the real version. The _witch_ version. As I looked into its large golden eyes, I couldn't stop picturing them on fire. He looked wrong, like it had three other faces more menacing than this. "Now…there there…easy…Clifford?"

All three heads barked in offense. A loud boom of a bark that vaguely sounded familiar. This was the noise on the third floor! Just how long had this beast been here?

The door that had never completely closed behind me banged open and in stepped Daphne, looking around frantically before settling in on me. "Mary," she whispered harshly. "Mary get away from that thing!"

The dog's paw came down on my lap. One claw pierced my cloak, my last cloak since the other had been fashioned into a harness for Leanne. "Daphne? Why are you here?"

"Is that really what you want to be asking me right now?" The dog's left head reared back toward the door and spared a growl in warning. "I followed you okay! What are you doing this time? Another crazy thing I can't ask about?"

"This wasn't on purpose! I didn't know this was a…a _thing's_ room!"

"Oh a likely story-"

"Just help me!"

Daphne stood there in the entry way, staring blankly for a moment. She seemed to be stuck in her own head until she finally opened her mouth. The most beautiful sound, like the soprano in a church choir.

All three heads whirled on her and away from me.

The melody was smooth and even with highs and somewhat chirpy bird sounds. It was beautiful. I didn't know Daphne could sing, especially this well!

I was just as lost on her singing and the beast. It laid low to the ground and rested its heads on its paws. I was so awed by the scene I almost missed Daphne's stern finger pointed at the door.

That's right. We were meant to escape.

I slowly stood to my feet and tiptoed around the dosing Clifford. Just as I edged toward the doorway, there was a chill that swept into the room. I froze in my tracks and looked back over my shoulder, back over the resting animal. The back wall seemed to vibrate. Or was it my eyes? I wasn't moving but it almost felt like I was being shaken back and forth. I reached out a hand to steady myself. I squeezed Daphne's thin shoulder to stop from falling. I could still hear her singing.

"Daphne…do you see that Daphne?" Her face was a blur half warping into the wall, but I have grown accustomed to her "are you an idiot" expressions. Whispers that seemed to start inside my head and seep out into the room grew into wails. I cupped my hands over my ears which only seemed to make the screams louder. They echoed and bounced around my head. "WHAT IS THAT?!" I attempted to shout over the noise.

My fingertips felt cold. It was spreading up my arms. I could see my breath disappear into a mist of vibrations. " _Mary! MARY!"_

I could no longer hear any singing.

Instead two hands pressed to my chest and pushed, forcing me to tumble down three small steps where I'm sure I hit the floor. There was a loud growl and the sound of a door slamming.

"Mary! Mary what's wrong?! Mary your ears!"

My vision finally settled. Daphne's worried face finally came to view. "Daphne. Daphne, thank you! You saved me!"

A violent blush spread across her face. "Shut up you idiot. Your ears are bleeding. We have to get you to Madame Pomphrey." I frowned but stood with her help. "What are you mixed up in?" She nagged, "How many life-threatening situations do you plan to involve _me_ in?"

"I'm not sure," I mumbled. I didn't like making my friends upset. "But I promise next time will be my turn to save your life." She snorted at that but didn't say anything. "Someone was calling my name in there. I could hear it in all the screaming."

"That was me you idiot."

"Oh? That makes sense."

"And what screaming? The only thing in there was that Cerberus and us."

Confused, I stopped walking, effectively stopping her. "What's a Cerberus?"

(Lidia: Hey guys! Sorry. I was sent to another property to work while I wait for my own to be ready to open and didn't have my personal laptop. But I've picked it up on a visit :) The second site I used to post on has sadly closed. But I guess the silver lining is that I can post here as quickly as I want without having to wait for chapters to be verified there.

Reviews:

Alice – Thank you so much for the review and following the story. I thought carefully about who to use as primary secondary characters to my OC. I considered Neville and Pansy for a while but they didn't fit in the same way.)


	23. Ch 23: What Does Gillyweed Taste Like

" _XXX xxxx xxxxxxx youx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxx x xxxxxx x xxxx, okay."_

 _-Charles Weasley_

Chapter 23: Does Gillyweed Taste Good?

I stumbled through the shelves of our school library. I clutched the small list of books scribbled for me to retrieve in one hand and cupped a bundle of books under my other arm. I was looking for one last book called "A History of Hellhounds by Merida Gilreath". It was an in-depth history of the mythological and historically documented uses of the Cerberus over the years. "Maybe the next shelf over?" I picked up the pace a bit as I noticed the titles getting closer and closer. "A History of Gibblyplank farmers by William Grubbly-Plank Sr. A History of Gillyweed Meals in Fishermen villages by Jessica Horncauldron. A History…A History…A History of Gzork- is that even a thing?! A History of Hamster and Guinea Pig familiars during the Era of Spies in Peru curated by Need To Know. A History…A History…A History of Hellhounds by Merida Gilreath!" I reached out for the book and met some resistance, but it ultimately slipped into my grasp.

"Excuse me!" Came a high-pitched squeak. I almost dropped my books in alarm and looked around quickly to see if the scary librarian had heard. The coast was clear. "Excuse me," Came a much quieter but still equally annoyed voice. "I believe that was mine."

I looked into the gap left open by the book to see stern face looking back at me. Bushy brows, buck teeth, wild hair. It was Herminny Granger. "Oh…hi?" I mumbled and turned tail to walk away. Herminny must have sprinted because in the next moment she was in front of me, blocking my path. "Um…yes?"

"I don't think you're understanding." She was squinting at the other books in my arms suspiciously. "The book was in my hand, but you pulled it away."

I was beginning to feel nervous and I wasn't sure why. There was something about her presence that was big and no nonsense. In a small way, she reminded me of Mama. It made me somewhat uncomfortable to be speaking with her directly like this. She's the smartest girl in our class. What if she thought I was stupid? "I'm sorry," I immediately offered.

She didn't move and simply held out her hand, foot tapping in impatience. "Well?"

"Oh, right," I croaked, immediately handing the book over. She grabbed it from me quickly, almost in a snatch that immediately set off a small spark in me. I hated when people snatched from me. But that tiny light of annoyance quickly disappeared.

"That's an interesting collection of books," the frizzy haired Gryffindor gestured to all the books I had remaining. I readjusted them into both of my arms and began skirting around her.

"I really like dogs," I said with a nervous smile before scurrying away. I didn't think I would withstand any more of her questions.

Dean and Daphne were holding a table in the far back corner of the library, so we could have some privacy. Daphne had filled him in on what had happened four days ago while I sat under Madame Pomphrey's watchful eye. The day after the incident, the ringing in my ears had stopped, but I couldn't hear a thing. Right now, I had one ear completely healed and the other still recovering. It was wrapped in gauze and covered in a hard-plastic cup attached to a headband that kept it in place. I got a couple weird looks and giggles, but it wasn't any teasing I wasn't already used to. The important thing was that I get my hearing back.

As I got closer to the table, Dean came around to grab the books from me and set them on the table. "I told you I could get them, Mary. You didn't need to carry so much."

I shrugged. "I wanted to." Had I stayed, the silence in the air would no doubt be filled with questions surrounding things I couldn't talk about with them yet. At least this way their focus was fixed on the giant dog hidden in the school.

"How's Seamus doing?" I asked, taking a seat and pulling one of the smaller books toward me. Daphne snorted at the sound of Seamus' name. "I haven't seen him around lately and he didn't come by when you can to visit me? I assumed he was in detention again."

Dean's head lowered a bit and he gave a sheepish smile. "Seamus is a bit…well I don't know exactly what bit he is lately, but he doesn't speak to me any."

"Good riddance," Daphne mumbled, selecting the first book from the pile.

I could tell Dean was affected, and so I reached out to pat him on the hand. I think that's what friends do when they con-…when they _console_ each other. "I'm sorry, Dean. Seamus will get over whatever it is eventually."

"I can tell you what it is right now," Daphne said without looking up from the pages of 'Hogwarts a History'. "He's jealous that Dean spends all his time with you. Dean's just too nice to say it out."

Oh no. That's not good. I never wanted to come between Dean and Seamus but now that I thought back on things…Dean, Seamus, and I hadn't really spent any time together lately. I never stopped to think about how my choosing Dean and Daphne as my Advisors would affect Seamus. He must feel like we replaced him. With a girl. A Slytherin girl. "Oh." I pulled my hand back, missing the dirty look Dean shot Daphne.

"It's nothing like that, Mary. Really," Dean assured though it wasn't convincing. "Seamus is just being a git right now. He'll get over it."

I nodded, flipping to the next page of my book I wasn't really reading. The only thoughts that ran through my mind was what if Seamus asked Dean to choose? They're both boys, both Gryffindor- what if Dean stopped hanging out with me so Seamus wouldn't stop hanging out with him? I'd lose my first friend. I'd lose my first advisor! Cedric wouldn't let me hear the end of it. He just started giving me more freedom. He didn't even ASK how I ended up near deaf in the hospital wing.

I mean, he had a face like he knew. But he didn't ask.

After what seemed like FOREVERRR in the library, reading the same book while Daphne and Dean did the heavy work, I finally asked. "What exactly are we supposed to be learning here?" I mean, I like to read. I read slowly, but I enjoy it. But these books were boring. And I didn't know what I was looking for.

Daphne rubbed her eyes and looked up for the first time. "We're looking for possible reasons as to why the school would need a Cerberus guarding that room."

Dean nodded. "There's another book I'll want to check out before we leave. It seems to me like you were having a sensitive Seer reaction to what might be a Glamour spell. It can happen to untrained Seers, especially if there is something triggering your- your um…third eye?"

I reflexively reached up and touched my forehead. Professor Trelawney would always press her index finger to her forehead when she was having one of her wacky visions that almost all seemed to surround Harry Potter or He-Who-We-Don't-Name in some way. "Can't we just, I don't know…ask around?"

I shrank in my seat under their looks. "Are you really an idiot?" Daphne barked. "You can't just go around asking about a Cerberus hidden in a forbidden corridor you were never supposed to be in, in the first place."

I raised my hands in defeat and lifted my book to hide my face. "Okay. Okay. Sorry." But curiosity hit me again. "Why are you guys doing all of this? Wouldn't normal people just…I don't know…avoid that room? Never go back there again? Never talk about that dangerous thing again?"

Dean and Daphne shared a look before he responded. "I don't know. This just seems like the sort of thing you'd need to know about? Involve yourself in somehow?"

I really looked closely at the two of them over my book. I stared as they went back and forth over the different theories as to why the Cerberus was there. What could be hidden behind that glamour spell. I looked at them as I struggled for the word to describe what I was seeing right now. This was…

Organism-… _organic_.


	24. Chapter 24: Merry Christmas

" _Cerberus are loyal and dependable creatures. Their best used for guarding things. Different from dragons, Cerberus will both prevent intruders as well as keep it's guarded item in check. So, the Cerberus is best made for guarding living or dangerous goods. If it is treasure you simply want to guard, you are better off using a dragon."_

-Sirius Black

Chapter 24: Merry Christmas

 _Dear Mama and Papa,_

 _How are you? How are things at church? I hope you haven't been kicked out because I go to heathen school now. Does anyone even know where I am?_

 _I am sorry I haven't written until now. I wasn't sure you'd want to hear from me. I'm sure you are horribly disappointed. I just wanted to let you know that I am doing well. I am brushing my teeth and changing my socks._

 _Have a blessed Christmas._

 _Love,…_

I stared down at my parchment- it's easy to call it parchment because it looks different. It is scroll paper, thick and it curls a bit. I stared down at my parchment at my sad excuse for a letter. How are you? How's church? I'm a darn witch! I don't give a hoot about church! Or I'm not supposed to anyway. And love… _love_ …is that how I wanted to close this? Did I love them? I don't know. They're not my real parents. I don't belong to them. I belong here with witches and wizards and three-headed dogs. I crossed Love out and followed the scribble with Sincerely. Now I stared at it again. How would they feel when they read this letter and could see where I clearly crossed out the love? In frustration, I drew large stars over the scribbles across the letter like a border effectively covering up the scratched-out Love and the Sincerely. But not well enough.

It was a mess.

I… _resigned_ myself to my letter not getting any better than this and tied it to Owl's foot. "Remember Owl," I pointed in seriousness, "Don't get close to them. In and out. That's it." Owl ruffled his feathers and gave two wing flaps signaling he was ready to get going. I rolled my eyes in my own irritation, handed him a treat, and opened the window. A bit of snow immediately blew into the guest house.

I was back at the Finnegan's for winter break. Mrs. Finnegan had heard about what happened at the school in October and so I had been ordered not to leave the Guest house under any circumstances. It was hardly fair. Seamus blew things up all the time, but he wasn't grounded.

It had been days since I'd spoken to anyone. Dean wrote that he'd be visiting for a couple of nights, but he never said if he was coming to see _me_ or _Seamus_. It really made a big difference because Seamus hadn't come to the guest house to see me once. I didn't do nothin', but he was upset with me anyway and it wasn't fair.

I had already finished my break homework over the past few days. I was now sitting in a dusty lawn chair that sat in the corner of the public space under a standing lamp. My bare feet curled under, my dictionary lay open in my lap. Reading a dictionary was no fun, but maybe if I studied enough words, I could save some study time to practice spells for any future dangerous Hufflepuff tasks. If they were all anything like the last one, I would need to learn a lot and fast. Ten words a day. I just needed to focus on 10 words at a time, so I wouldn't forget them.

At around noon there was a …a…rap. I could use rap this way- there was a rap at my window. When I looked up, a large gray owl sat on the windowsill. My mind immediately stretched to Nymphada Tink, and back. She still hadn't written me back. I gave up on the thought that she would. "Dean doesn't have an owl. Who could you be from?" I opened the window and the bird immediately swopped down on a leftover owl treat on the floor. While it gobbled it down, it lifted its leg in wait. "Right," I started. I set down my dictionary and reached down to untie the letter and a small box. It smelled familiar if that made any sense. "It's from Cedric."

 _Dear Mary,_

 _How is your holiday break going? I hope you're studying hard._ Of course, Cedric is asking after my studies. He knows out of everyone I can't afford to slack off. _But more than that, I hope you are enjoying your time away from Hogwarts. I know how it can feel like Hogwarts is everything and nothing else exists, but you want to make sure you find things that keep you grounded._

 _I'm really proud of you, Mary. You are coming such a long way, but we still have a long way to go. I will always be here for you when you need me, so please do not hesitate to ask me for help. No more crazy misadventures without me._ I could almost see Cedric's raised unibrow and tight frowning pealing lips.

 _Merry Christmas Mary. I got the idea to get you something from that troll mother last month. She called you a Magi which I thought was pretty fitting. When you return, you should really look into what Magi are. I think you'd be pleasantly surprised._

 _Cheers,_

 _Cedric_

Do English people really say cheers? Do they say Cherio? Should I have signed my letter to Mama and Papa, cheers? They would have gotten to see how English I was becoming.

I unwrapped the small box wrapped in moving newspaper. "The Boy Who Lived Enjoying His First Year At Hogwarts: A look into the Potter Hogwarts Legacy." Inside was a polished pinkish gold cross. At its center was a small diamond. When I lifted it from the box, it dangled from a delicate thin chain. And it opened! I pressed down in the clasp of its rounded center and the cross opened to reveal space for a small photo. I immediately put it on and looked at myself in the reflection in the window glass. Rather than being able to admire myself and my new gift, I caught what looked like the tail end of Dean Thomas walking into the main house.

I guess I found out who he was there to see.

SQUAK!

Cedric's owl was hungry. I took out some of Owl's feed and put it I a bow for him. "You're going to sleep here. I'll have a proper thank you letter to send to Cedric in the morning," I muttered to the demanding bird, suddenly feeling less motivated to study. Still, I put out his feed and crawled back into my lawn chair, staring at, but not reading my dictionary. Instead I thought about what Dean and Seamus must be up to. What fun my friend and my cousin must be having without me.

After a few hours of staring into nothing, when the sun was beginning to set, I found it in me to take a shower. I changed into another pair of footie-pajamas. I was making to turn in early when my doorbell rang. Maybe it was Dean! I rushed to the door and swung it open. My smile dimmed, but never left. "Daphne!" I involuntarily leapt out to hug her before remembering this was Daphne and letting go. "What are you doing here?! It's Christmas Eve."

Daphne rolled her eyes and pushed passed me to let herself in. Her eyes scanned the emptiness of my Livingroom space. The lonely wooden end table and stained green lawn chair by the window. The beat up brown sofa and faded navy sofa chair. The thin unraveling maroon colored carpet. "My parents are in Nigeria visiting a shaman," she drawled out slowly. "My sister Astoria has a condition so sometimes she gets really sick."

"Oh, I'm sorry," I winced, twisting the ends of my hair into a mustache over my lip. "We can pray-um-pray for her if you want?"

Daphne looked over her shoulder at me for the first time since she walked in. "Um, you don't need to do that." Then she raised a palm at the space. "You live like this? Where's all your stuff?"

I shrugged, walking passed her down the hall to my bedroom that was almost equally as sparse. The only thing that changed was the fight poster I received from the boys in WMAC. It was still the same Queen bed. Still the same odd sailboat photo hanging on the far wall. "Who's that?" Daphne pointed.

"That's my real Papa I guess," I shrugged, a bit awkward about it myself. "The guys in club gave it to me. Apparently, he was like a professional fighter or something." Daphne nodded. She set down the duffle bag she had slung over her shoulder and dug inside for something.

"Here you go, Hufflepuff," Daphne said, tossing me a box that I was barely alert enough to catch. "Merry Christmas."

I couldn't describe the feeling I had just then. Another gift? I was receiving another gift but I hadn't gotten anyone anything. One Christmas when I was 6, I made art for everyone I knew for the holiday. I had stayed up late into the night all week painting pictures for all the kids in my class and all my family. I went to sleep that Christmas Eve and woke up the next day to heartbreak. All my paintings were gone. Every single one. There was a single not on my desk in handwriting I didn't recognize. _"Never do this again."_ It wasn't handwriting I recognized but I somehow knew it wasn't from my parents. I balled up the letter and threw it in the trash and haven't given another Christmas gift since. "You…didn't have to. I didn't get you anything."

Daphne shrugged and started shrugging off her clothes. My face grew hot and I looked away. "I-I'll give you some privacy."

"What for," Daphne snorted. "Girls get changed in front of each other all the time? You Hufflepuff really take turns? Not really living up to the stereotypes huh?"

I wrung my hands, staring at the sailboat. "I share a room with Professor, so I don't really know what they do in the dorms." I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. She really was gray everywhere. And her underwear was so pretty! Was that a bra? I didn't just need new pajamas? Did I need new underwear? I looked away again. "What stereotypes do you mean?"

Daphne snorted. "Let's just say the word is Hufflepuff girls are really friendly." Oh, if only she knew the motivations behind making those friends. I suppose she would figure it out soon enough. "You can look now." When I turned around, Daphne was wearing a pair of eggshell colored silk pajama pants and a similar colored tank top. I could see the straps from her bra now and that was all I could focus on. She's allowed to wear a bra? How do I know when I'm allowed to wear one- when I need one? I somehow really did not want to ask Mrs. Finnegan that question. "You got a new crucifix?"

My hand reflexively grabbed the cross around my neck. I found that, like my bracelet, the thin chain was surprisingly strong. I didn't want to take it off. It was my first Christmas gift from someone that wasn't my parents. I don't think I'd ever take it off. "Cedric sent it," I beamed, "For Christmas."

Daphne made a face for a moment, coming forward to reach out and touch it. Her nimble finger quickly opened the clasp, a smile coming to her lips before snapping it shut. "Have you decided what photo you're going to put inside?"

"No. Not yet. I don't really have any."

"Why not a picture of Cedric?"

My face screwed up in disgust. "I see his face all the time. I don't want to carry it around with me all day."

Daphne laughed at that. I was happy I could make my friend laugh. She was so serious most times. "Well let me know if you think of something. Are you going to open my gift?" I had almost forgotten about it. What if it was a bra? Is that the kind of gift girls get each other?"

I opened the box, carefully pealing away the sparkling gold wrapping paper and black bow. She really wrapped my gift in Hufflepuff colors. Daphne really was a real girl like Jubilee. After opening the box inside, I found several small things. Flavored lip balms and glosses, fingernail polish, shampoo, conditioner, hair lotion, moisturizer, a small book of beauty spells, and…a comb. Reflexively, I reached up and touched my tangled hair. It was terribly knotted. I might have to cut it all off. "These are all so nice," I said with a small smile. "I don't…um…I don't think I can-"

"I'm going to detangle your hair myself. We can't continue to be seen together with those accidental dreadlocks forming in your hair."

My blush of embarrassment reached my shoulders I'm sure. Lucky for me just then, the doorbell rang. "I'll go get that." Daphne followed me to the front door. When I answered the door, I found Dean there in his pajamas with a tray of food. "Dean? I thought…I don't know. You brought food?"

Dean looked sheepish. Guilty even. "They're eating dinner over there. I wanted…I wanted to be here. So, I told Mrs. Finnegan I'd bring you dinner." Dean looked passed me at the guest house. "Can I um…come in?"

Daphne rolled her eyes, snatching the tray from Dean and walking the food over to the carpet. "Took you long enough. I take it you and Seamus made up?"

Dean slid in around me since I had never exactly moved out of the way. I understood, it was cold out and he must have been freezing. He took off Seamus' snow boots at the door while I closed it. "Is Seamus not coming?"

Dean glanced at me quickly and looked away. The more I got to know Dean, the more I could see the wheels turning in his head before he spoke. It was like his eyes con...conveyed that he was weighing every word. "Seamus doesn't want to intrude. He understands my friendship with you and my friendship with him are different."

"Different?" I asked as we made our way to the food. Daphne wasted no time digging in. "How is our friendship different?"

There Dean was, thinking again. "Seamus and I are guys. We do… _guy_ things. The stuff we talk about is different. We live with each other."

"What kind of guy things?" I asked confused around a mouthful of macaroni. "Like detentions?"

Dean smirked. "Sort of."

"We can do guy things. I have detentions with Professor Snape! We can talk about guy things. What do guys talk about?"

Dean just shrugged again. "I don't know. Just… _stuff_. You're girls. The vibe is different."

Daphne shrugged. "Seamus is your friend. Mary is your girlfriend."

The way he fumbled his fork made a loud clattering noise over the sound of the light ice now falling outside. "Don't say stuff like that! Me and Mary are just friends." Daphne shrugged again. "What are you even doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be spending the holiday with Pansy Parkinson?"

The blonde seemed to stiffen at the mention of her Slytherin friend. I hadn't thought about it before, but it certainly made sense. Daphne and Pansy were best friends way before I ever came around. Or at least, they always seemed to be together. It wasn't like the rest of the girls. They actually seemed to enjoy each other.

So why was Daphne here instead?

"Pansy and I aren't friends anymore."

Dean, sensing he'd put his foot in his mouth, looked sorry. "What happened?"

"Well before my parents left, there was a big holiday party at the Malfoy's. Draco Malfoy got me a charm bracelet."

Dean winced but I was confused. "What does that have to do with you and Pansy not being friends?"

"Pansy called me a boyfriend stealer and said she never wanted to see my ghost face ever again."

Well that wasn't nice. "Draco Malfoy is her boyfriend? Then wouldn't it make sense for your friend's boyfriend to get you a Christmas gift?

Dean interjected. "Draco Malfoy is not Pansy's boyfriend. And I think Daphne is trying to say that he didn't get Pansy a gift. Just her."

I think it was coming together. "Well how are you a boyfriend stealer if he wasn't her boyfriend? It's not like he you to be his girlfriend." When Daphne didn't respond. "Did he?"

"Not exactly. Crabbe gave me a note from Draco that night saying he liked me. Asking if I liked him back. I thought maybe they had given it to me by mistake or gave it to me to give to her, so I gave it to Pansy. She circled that she _like_ liked him back. Draco thought it came from me and so, in front of everyone and our parents, he gave me a charm bracelet. Pansy called me a boyfriend stealer, also in front of everyone, and stormed off." Daphne looked at me, or not exactly at me? "It's something when the guy you fancy gets a gift for another girl. So here I am."

"…So, does Draco still think you _like him_ like him," Dean finally spit out in a laugh.

Daphne threw a beat up throw pillow at him, almost hitting his dinner plate. "Half the school thinks you fancy Mary. You're one to make jokes!"

Dean refused to look at me, choosing to focus entirely on his meal. A plastic bag sat next to him. "What is that…bread?" I asked, effectively changing the subject. All this talk of ex-friends and like-liking boys made my head hurt.

They both laughed at that. Dean put down his plate long enough to reach inside and pulled out a red Santa wrapped gift with a green bow. "Merry Christmas, Mary."

I took the slightly damp box from him slowly. "Everyone got me something. I didn't get anyone anything."

Dean smiled. "It's alright, Mary. Just open it."

I did just that. Inside was a sketch book, fancy looking color pencils, and a couple of drawing books. They looked like magic drawing books! "Dean! Thank you!"

"Well I heard every good Seer needs to learn to draw. To keep a good vision journal."

"Hey!" Daphne huffed. "You didn't get that excited about my gift!"

"Well I know how to color," I huffed. "I don't exactly know what hair lotion is for. I'm sorry."

"Well today is the day you learn. Hurry up and finish eating so we can do something with that…," she gestured toward my head, "THAT."

I suddenly found myself wishing I had eaten slower. Dean chuckled at my clear discomfort. "Oh, alright."

After dinner it was straight to the bathroom. Dean followed behind us and sat on the toilet seat with a Gameboy in hand while I bent over the edge of the tub. Daphne washed and conditioned and washed again. There was wand waving and detangling spells and combing. Lots of combing. When I was finally allowed up, I had been thoroughly groomed. "Well look at that," Dean smiled. "I was beginning to think you'd have to chop it off."

I blushed at knowing I thought the same. But when I looked in the mirror at my dripping wet brunette locks I was surprised at how long it was. With it matted I couldn't tell, but looking at it now, it grazed my shoulders. Daphne approached me from behind with that comb again. "We're going to twist it now. That way tomorrow when you take it down, It will be in cool beachy waves."

"Waves?" I poked at my flat hair again. "I'd look…beachy?"

"Yes, Mary. Teen Witch Weekly beach waves."

Oh, if only those girls in Mississippi could see me now.

(Lidia- Thank you guys for sticking with the story! Next chapter we meet 14 year-old Viktor Krum.

Reviews:

ChocoGummies – I'm so glad you think so! Thank you! I feel like a lot of the best stories in the fandom have a heavy Gryffindor or Slytherin focus for obvious reasons and Hufflepuff really get a bad rep. So I wanted to write something that would paint them in a more interesting light. I don't think the characters I chose and at their current age are tags people search to often. Hopefully it will pick up as the characters get older. I set out to write this story out of enjoyment anyway so if it doesn't, I think I'll still be happy with what I have.)


	25. Chapter 25: Bread Crumbs

" _Do not ever ask a Cerberus to fetch. At least one head will always take offense."_

 _-Rubeus Hagrid_

Chapter 25: Bread Crumbs

"ARE YOU READY TO SEE A FIGHT?!"

Screams erupted from all around me as we made our way to our seats in the sixth row. We were just in time for the opening featherweight match.

"THAT WAS PATHETIC! I SAID ARE YOU READY TO GET STARTED!"

This time the stands shook with the force of stomps and screams. Errol's hand found my shoulders as he hunched himself around me and guided me through the crowd. Eventually we were able to push into our seats. As soon as Errol let go, I nearly tripped.

"внимателен." When I looked up to see who was speaking, there stood an older boy. He had reached a hand out to steady me. Not an adult like most people here. Maybe the same ages as Errol, Nicholas, and Kal.

"Sorry," I winced, standing upright. He just gave a gentle smile and turned back to the ring. What was that he had said? It got lost in the noise of the cheers around us.

"I've been waiting for this all year!" Kal giggled with a smile so wide, it almost looked like it would break his face. He and Nicholas joined in on the bleacher stomping. The air was filled with an electricity that _jooosteled?_ me back and forth. That was wrong. I fingered a small piece of torn parchment in my pocket where I had five words with their definitions written down. I couldn't take a break on my studies. Not even today. And ESPECIALLY when I knew no good smug faced Zacharias already knew all kinds of words.

I had been receiving owls from the boys for the past week. There were no specific words that had ever said I _couldn't_ leave the guest house, but it was an unspoken rule. So, when Kal and his smooth-talking charmer of a brother showed up. With a few words and grins, he had Mrs. Finnigan eating out of the palm of his hand, much to the annoyance of Mr. Finnigan.

We floo'd away to Kal's home where Nicholas and Errol waited. Kal slipped his older brother wizard coins- I wasn't exactly sure how much each one was worth yet, and he disappeared. "But I thought he was supposed to come with us?" I asked, curious as to where he was going.

"Trust me. You don't want my stupid brother around. He's only good for snogging girls and _finding_ trouble."

"What's a snog?" I whispered to Nicholas, but he just laughed me away and directed me toward the floo.

So here we were. I sat in awe, my hands never fully leaving my face at any moment as I watched the two men in the ring beat each other to smithereens. Different colored lights would surround their hands and feet when they punched, kicked, blocked. At times one fighter would flip out of danger and stick a landing on the side of the cage wall feet first. "How did he do that?!" I gasped but it was lost in the jeers and cheers of the crowd.

I could feel someone watching me. I was getting to know that feeling well since attending Hogwarts and becoming a witch. Unlike recently, this didn't feel malicious. When I looked to my right, the boy I had tripped into earlier had been staring. I didn't know what to do, because he didn't look away, so I just nervously smiled and looked away. He eventually returned his attention to the fight, cheering and shouting with the rest of us.

I couldn't describe this feeling, but I was happy I came. This must be what Papa felt when he watched his college football. The energy from the crowd literally flows from the people around you and into you and out of you again. By the time the heavy weight fight was underway, my voice was hoarse from having screamed so much. I wasn't even sure who I was cheering for. I shouted any time someone did something cool. That earned me some side eyes from certain people, letting me know that the majority of the crowd clearly had a favorite.

The heavyweight fight made the earlier match look like a couple slap boxing kittens. The hits here were harder, the kicks deadlier. It was like a 4th of July fireworks show in there. Where you lost most of the acrobatics, it was made up in just plain powerful head to head, punch for punch, bone cracking holds.

I was being stared at again.

"Hello?" I finally said, brave enough that if this boy became scary, there were three other boys right behind me. Three boys that practice their punches and kicks on owl feed bags. They're not very good but they practice.

"Hello." He nodded. He seemed like he was ready to ignore me again, but he decided not to at the last moment. "Трябва да говорите български." At my confused look, he seemed disappointed. This time he spoke slowly. "Sprichst du Bulgarisch?- Извинете. Проклет. Немски. Не говоря английски."

I stared at him, slowly shaking my head in confusion. He really seemed like he was trying to say something, but it was clear he couldn't speak a lick of English. He had a very sturdy look to him. Almost like he could have worked a farm or maybe been in that ring in a fight himself. He was just as tall as Errol and maybe not as wide but all brick shoulders in his deep dark red robes. His brow set in a straight line making his face look serious and a little intimidating. His dark eyes and light tan reminded me a lot of Jackie's grandmother from school. She used to pick Jackie up every now and then but one day a couple of the older kids threw rocks at her van. They said they were going to call Immigration on her and made fun of Jackie for being crippled. It was the same two kids that always threw rocks at our classroom window when they even decided to come to school. And they got suspended right after saying all that mean stuff to the lady, but Jackie's mom started picking Jackie up from then on. When I asked her about it, she told me that her Grandma was fine and that she had papers, but she didn't want to give her any trouble because she couldn't speak much English.

"I'm sorry," I winced, gripping tightly to the Hufflepuff scarf around my neck. I didn't have another scarf. I also wore my Hufflepuff gloves and hat. I should really go shopping. "I'm really sorry. I don't speak no Spanish." He looked confused, staring back at me. I shouted louder over the crowd. "I don't speak Spanish! No-um-HABLE! No hable Spanish!" Oh, I knew that was no good. I could tell it didn't translate either but that was all I knew how to say aside from 'Hola' and 'Gracias'.

"Mary Smith?" Oh- he knew my name? I nodded slowly. He held up a hand signaling I…I wait? He then dug into his robes and pulled out a vial full of small purple flower heads. He pulled one out and grabbed my hand, placing it in my palm. He was giving me flowers? My face grew hot. What was going on? I don't want this!

He was looking at me expectantly and, not wanting to disappoint, I reached up and put the flower in my hair. I've only been a girly looking girl for a week and already Daphne has boys giving me flowers. I was never going to comb my hair again. Daphne was currently at her Grandmother's Cabin with the promise to return another day before the break ended. We would need to talk about this.

The boy went from looking hopeful to horrified and immediately removed the small flowerhead from my hair. With an exasperated look, he held it up for me to see, and then he ate it.

It was my turn to look horrified. Out came his vial and he handed me another flower. I couldn't just eat this! You can't just eat anything a stranger gives to you.

But he also ate it. Maybe it was okay? Witches at sporting games share snacks I suppose? I didn't see anyone around selling hotdogs or sodas. Just then my stomach growled.

So I ate it.

It tasted like a spicy flower. My tongue felt funny. I would not recommend this snack to others.

The boy finally cracked a grin. "You understand fine now, don't you?"

I was shocked. So, eating the flower helped him speak English? Or did it help me understand Spanish? "Yes I can hear you- er- understand you."

He glanced behind me before looking to me again. "You have a body guard? You are this famous in England, too?"

"Famous? I'm not famous. These are just my um-friends. We go to school together."

He had to bend a little to hear me. His long hair slid forward over his shoulder. His hair was so beautiful the way it waved. "Do you use hair lotion too?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. Stupid Mary! Stupid!

He looked a little taken aback before bursting into a laugh that was swallowed in another roar. The bleachers shook. "You are funny. No one back home will believe I met _the_ Mary Smith. It is shameful that you do not speak your father's tongue but I suppose that is not your fault."

"I didn't think my father was Mexican."

"Mexican?"

"I mean, there are a lot of countries that speak Spanish. Sorry."

"Spanish?" He stood upright a moment to look behind me again. "Spanish…" He mumbled again. "You know nothing of your father." It wasn't a question, but I shook my head anyway. "His home still stands. Would you like to see it?"

My mouth opened and closed a couple times. My father's home? I could see my father's home? Would I have family there? "Yes!" I found myself answering before fully thinking things through. When he held out a hand I took it. Don't go wandering off with strangers. Don't talk to strangers. Don't eat food from strangers. I was breaking all the rules today, but I needed to find out more about my parents. How could I claim to truly become an English witch if I didn't do all that I could to find out where I came from? No matter how suspicious, how could I pass up the opportunity to learn more about my parents? My father?

With another roar from the crowd, he held up a finger to his lips and pulled me through the audience. I guess now I could see it was inconsiderate to just leave my friends behind. I suppose I would really feel bad about this later. We walked out of the warehouse that housed the event, until we were a few yards away. There, he pulled a pouch from under his robes. Then from this small pouch, his entire arm disappeared, and he pulled a broom, mounting it. "Hop on. The fight is almost over and then there won't be any time for it." I did, climbing on the way Cedric taught me. It was odd doing it with someone else there. I tried grabbing onto the back of his robe, but his arms forced mine around his torso. "Don't be foolish. You will fall off. Have you never ridden before?"

"I'm still learning," I winced. His stare became so blank. Somehow, I could feel disappointment rolling off him. I knew in the same way I just knew things. He caught me with a firm but gentle grip when I started to tip off.

"Like this then," he said, scooting further back on the broom. He positioned me in a way that reminded me of horseback riding side saddle. I was like a dainty lady in a western. "Make yourself small little Smith," he mumbled, leaning forward to grasp the front end. "Hold on very tightly. This will be a long ride to a Floo." And we were off.

(Lidia: Thank you all for the views, the follows, the favorites, and the reviews! They're all greatly appreciated.

Panda735170 – Thank you! Character development is a huge compliment! I try to present Mary as a normal student struggling with her studies that just so happens to have an attention deficit. I'm glad you enjoyed what I've put together so far.

ChocoGummies – A second review! Thank you! My main secondary characters are Daphne and Dean. Seamus will be around but not nearly as often. And yes I do plan to drop many dangerous things in Mary's direct path.)


	26. Chapter 26: Bread Crumbs Part 2

Chapter 26: Bread Crumbs Part 2

"Haaaah hah hah haaaaaaaah." I blew air into my gloves to warm my freezing finger tips as I followed behind Victor Crumb. I then touched them to my cold cheeks. I tried to be disc…I tried to hide it. Flying on a broom, in this weather, was like torture. And the way Victor flew! He was like a bullet on a string with his impressive flying. The birds got out of our way.

When we eventually landed in an old rundown café, he sat me in the far back seat away from any other customers and went to buy me a hot chocolate. It was a challenge. He had pulled my hat as low as was able on my head and wrapped his incredibly large black wool scarf around my own, effectively covering all but my eyes. "You don't need to be seen," he whispered in a tone that left no room for argument. So I would just the bulk of fabric around my eyes to take sips. I was only half finished before he stood and motioned for us to go. From there it was about three Floo's to get to where we needed to get to. Then a bit more flying.

We eventually landed in a dense wood on a dirt path and here we were walking. He stayed always in front of me, like I was being hidden. I suppose I was.

Maybe I did have a body guard.

I briefly wondered what the boys were doing. Were they looking for me? Wondering where I had gotten to? Should I have told them? Would they have tried to stop me? Would they have wanted to come with? As question after question swirled around unanswered, I blew into my hands again. A heavy warmth circled me just then. I looked up to see that Victor had given me his jacket. "Hold still." He buttoned the inner flaps and then fastened the strings to the outer flap buttons. It was so long I would likely trip over it.

"It'll drag," I warned him, though it was muffled through the two scarves. He just gave me a pointed look. "What about you? You'll catch a cold!"

"I won't," he shrugged with those brick shoulders. "Don't fall behind. Your father's home is in the village up ahead."

I quickly piped down and nodded, trotting after him carefully. I rolled up the long sleeves and lifted the front of his jacket that hung and dragged behind me like a royal cape. The black fur tickled my nose. I put all my focus in the swinging of his braid back and forth like an old grandfather clock. Something about it was oddly familiar and comforting. I wanted to bat at it like Cinnabon would a new tassel toy.

When the forest broke, there stood a collection of cottages a yard from the other. In the distance could be see a very large house and a very large gate. "That," Crumb pointed, "is your father's house. People come from all over to take pictures outside of it and try their hand at entering. Until recently the Prime Minister had petitioned to have the property seized.

"Recently?"

We were walking again. The big house up on the hill belonged to my Papa? My real Papa? "The English did not exactly share where they had hidden you. It was widely assumed you were dead. Though some speculation that you lived remained." The way he spoke was with such interest. He talked about my Papa's house like it was haunted…was it? "You see, the staff, they never left. They maintain the house and the grounds and have made sure no one has been able to enter. Because so many tourists come to this small village to watch them work and take photos, it brings the locals money for their Inns and little shops they run out of their homes. Look," he pointed to an old tattered looking banner that hung from two abandoned windmills. It was a moving banner of me standing on platform 9 ½. Seamus was cut-off, but you could see his hand tugging me along. I looked lost. Underneath were words I couldn't understand. "A Smith belongs in the Republic of Bulgaria," Victor read for me. "There was a large parade here. It was understood that, with the destruction of your mother's home during the first Great War, that you would naturally return to your father's home and attend Durmstrang. Needless to say, many were greatly disappointed that this is not the case."

I didn't understand much about the Great War. Just that during this time, someone with barely a name killed my parents. "I'm sorry I don't speak Bulgarian."

"It is okay." We finally reached the tall wrought iron gate. Foreign script that likely read my last name framed the top 15 feet above us. "I can teach you. As your father's biggest fan, it is only my responsibility."

And there it was. Was he just using me to take a peak into my Papa's home? I suppose it's not as bad as a kidnapping er nothin'. He was just like Errol, Nich, or Kal. It'd be best if I didn't tell him about my incident in DADA class. "How do we get inside?"

"I think it may just be blood magic." Victor pulled out his wand and grabbed my hand. "This might hurt a bit." He waved his wand and then dragged it along my palm. I winced but refused to make any other sound. I didn't know why, but I didn't like that this fan of my dad's looked down on me for not being Bulgarian enough.

I already wasn't English enough.

Or witch enough.

Or smart enough.

I made a fist until my palm was well covered in my own blood and gingerly placed it on the gate. It was like the moment I touched it, there was a spark and a gust of air that whipped my hair back. The gate slowly cracked open just enough to fit the two of us. Crumbs wasted no time in squeezing through, though I made sure to follow close behind. I couldn't believe how beautiful it all was. Low cut green grass- had I ever seen greener? I think I could make out a hedge maze off to the right. The large paved walkway led up to the front door. On either side of us were water filled holes very small and very deep. As we walked, koi fish leaped from one hole to the next. They were following us. The face of the house looked to be made with stone blocks with heavy looking dark stained wooden doors. It was like a castle. I hadn't been awed by the largeness of a building since Hogwarts. Of course, this was no Hogwarts but this was all just my Papa's house and not a school and it was much too large for one person. He must have had a huge family.

Standing on the stoop before the door, Victor and I exchanged a look. "It's your house." Made sense. I reached up to knock and before I could make contact with the door, they both swung inward. Victor flinched. My breathe stopped in my chest.

Elves. Over One Hundred them.

"Welcome home, Master."


	27. Ch 27: Are You There Death? It's Me Mary

" _Did you know that filtered Cerberus drool can be used as an adhesive? Pretty cool right?"_

 _-Neville Longbottom_

Chapter 27: Are You There, Death? It's Me, Mary.

The ding of the bell rang as the door opened to the familiar scent of dust and wood. Mrs. Finnigan quickly closed the door behind us to keep out the draft. "Mr. Ollivander?...Mr. Ollivander!" She rang the bell on the counter.

There was the sound of an "OOF" followed by the crash of boxes before the old man hobbled out to the front desk in his wrinkled wool suit. "Welcome. How may I-oh…it is you."

I stared up at Mr. Ollivander from beneath my hat and freshly wet hair. Beside me, Seamus sneezed. "Yes," Mrs. Finnigan nodded. "It was communicated to me that you and Mary have made arrangements for her to assist you around the shop today? For some sort of community service credit?"

Mr. Ollivander looked from the older woman to me again. I practically begged him through my gaze. Please let one of your wizard powers be mind reading! "Community service," he drawled with a long look in my direction.

There was another long pause and I knew Mrs. Finnigan was beginning to become suspicious. Suddenly, I had an idea. I whipped out my wand and rushed forward to plop it on the counter. "And my wand polishing! You said stop by any time."

It was quiet again. With another long look from him, I imagine this was all very awkward for him, he finally cocked a brow. "Why yes indeed, I did say that. Thank you for stopping in to provide me an extra hand. I could use the help."

The tension visibly left me as I exhaled. "Very well," the older woman snipped. "Seamus is here to assist as well." Both of our immediate objections were silenced with a sharp glare. "The _two of you_ will help with whatever Mr. Ollivander asks. I will return at 5pm _sharp_. And the _TWO_ of you had better be here or so help me." Seamus shot me a disgruntled look and I turned away. Clearly this was all my fault.

My excuuursion…my excursion to my father's home landed me on a full and official guest house arrest. After arriving in Bulgaria, Viktor and I spent the night in my Papa's home. It was as if it had never been abandoned. House elves waited on us hand and foot. Almost to the point that they were a hinderance. I never got to do any exploration of the property. Everywhere I turned, they were always there. Viktor seemed even more giddy than me. My favorite part of the day was dinner. It was a genuine Hogwarts feast. I slept so hard I may have snored. The next morning I found the headmaster himself at the front gate. He did not look pleased.

Upon returning, I was not allowed out and Daphne was definitely not allowed to return. This was the only excuse I could find to leave the house. I may have even played up Mr. Ollivander's frailty to get her to finally agree. I didn't know it meant I would have to be babysat by Seamus of all people.

Still, it was worth it.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, mum."

With another glare and grunt, she was out the door and back into the heavy snowfall.

"Well," Mr. Ollivander clapped his hands together. "Let us get to it shall we?" He lifted the wooden door to allow us behind the counter. "Come on in. There is a great many things to do before five." The two of us scuttled in and followed Mr. Ollivander deep into his shop. "Careful there. Step over that. Yes, yes now where are those rags?"

Soon after we went right to it. Seamus held onto the bottom of a ladder while I dusted a high shelf of wands boxed in blue. Dust each box carefully. Move them to one side and dust that half of the shelf. Move them to the other side and dust the other half. Repeat. Do NOT use magic. Our directions were very clear.

"You just couldn't stay put, could you?" Seamus grumbled. It was the first time he had spoken to me since…since…oh I couldn't remember. I continued dusting without response. There was another pause between us before Seamus decided to speak louder. "Why'd you even come back? Why didn't you just stay there. You've got a whole big house there by yourself, don't you?"

Oh Seamus was such a brat! "Yeah I do actually," I snapped with all the smugness I could muster. "It's my real Papa's house. It's really huge. It has a lot of rooms, maybe 50 or 60 even! And I have over 400 house elves that work for me and will make me whatever I want to eat. I don't know why I came back either!" Suddenly the ladder jerked and I nearly slipped. I grabbed onto it for dear life, having dropped my rag and bottle of cleaning solution. "Hey!"

Looking down at Seamus's panicked face as he held the ladder tightly, I could see the immediate regret in his face. "Sorry! Sorry."

With a huff, I climbed back down. "Look Seamus," I said when I was finally face to face with him, "I'm sorry you're stuck here with me. And I'm sorry I stole your friend."

"You didn't _steal_ anything! Dean and I are still mates. Dean just has a lot of sisters is all so he's used to hanging out with _girls_."

We heard a chuckle from a far away room that let us know Garrick was still listening. "We should get back to cleaning," I mumbled before climbing back up the ladder.

It was hours later before all the shelves were thoroughly and completely dusted. Wand boxes were polished. Seamus had gone to the bathroom and had yet to return. He was likely inside reading the Quidditch magazine he had snuck in under his robe. I slowly retracted the ladder the way Mr. Ollivander had shown us how. There was still time for me to help him some other way, but I was mostly satisfied that I could clear the dust and cobwebs for him.

While placing the ladder back into the closet, I peaked something just outside my range of vision. After closing the closet door, there was nothing there. "Seamus?" I rounded the corner of one shelf and saw no one. Once again, behind me, there was the quick pass again, just beyond my sight. "Mr. Ollivander? Is that you?" I said turning back toward the large window on the far wall. No one was there. Still, I couldn't stop seeing something like an eye floaty. Every way my eyes moved, just outside recognition. "Who's there?" Why was it suddenly so cold? Had Mr. Ollivander's heater gone out?

There was a reflection in the window. Something dark, and large, with no real form. It looked to be behind me but when I turned, there was nothing. I could feel my heart beating hard against my chest. I needed to run. I felt like I needed to run. Why couldn't I run?

Something sharp pricked at the back of my neck. As soon as it began, it ended. The cold went with it. My legs gave out beneath me, weak with terror and I curled up on the floor. A burning was blooming there and spreading slowly, like a bad sunburn at first. Now it felt like that time I touched a hot poker. I yelped at the growing pain. That is how Mr. Ollivander found me. "Mary? Child what are you doing on the floor?"

"I-I-It hurts!" I clasped at the back of my neck. Hearing the commotion, Seamus came running.

"Mary! Mary are you okay?"

I hated to make Gary kneel like that. He probably had bad knees. People his age usually have bad knees. But he knelt beside me and peeled my hands away. "It's probably just a spider bite. This old shop is full of spiders. Let me have a look." His hand pushed up my hair to bare my neck.

"What _is_ that?" my cousin asked in confusion, making me all the more panicked. The burning began to melt into a steady throbbing. What had just happened?

"Curious mark," Mr. Ollivander said in a halting sort of way. He spoke calmly but I could feel a large sort of shock and excitement in him. My bracelet glowed brightly again. "It seems you've made an unlikely friend. What _have_ you been up to young lady?"

I sat up slowly, trying to feel what they could see that I couldn't. It still just felt like my same ol' neck to me. "I'm a Hufflepuff," I began. When his gaze turned expectant, I could tell he wasn't one. And he didn't know anything. Saying that was enough for Madame Pomphrey. It should have been enough for him. But it wasn't. So, he wouldn't be finding out what I've been up to. Instead I asked, "What do you mean I've made a friend?"

"In Death."

Seamus snorted. "What? Are you all there, Sir?"

Oh, Lord no. I've somehow managed to earn the Devil's favor and I don't know what I did to get it. "But I don't want to be friends!"

Mr. Ollivander held a finger up to his lips as he stood. "Careful," he said with a chuckle. "You don't want to go and cause offense. Death can be pretty sensitive. Tell me. Have you ever heard of The Tales of Merlin the Magnificent?"

(Lidia: I am trying to update as quickly as possible. I meant to be onto book two by now but my work schedule has been a bit crazy. Thank you to everyone sticking with me!

AlienfromNorth- Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

ChocoGummies- Yes Mary is half Bulgarian. Before ending up at Hogwarts, he attended Durmstrang. Thank you for the review!)


	28. Chapter 28: The Worst That Could Happen1

" _When mating, all three heads of one Cerberus must agree that all three heads of the other Cerberus are a suitable mate before anything will happen. Er- maybe you're too young to care about any'o this."_

 _-Rubeus Hagrid_

Chapter 28: The Worst That Could Happen Part 1

 _Tap tap!_ A perfectly manicured finger of pink polish and floating white hearts tapped page five of Teen Witch Weekly. A model surrounded in bubbles danced, showcasing an elaborate heart shaped top knot. "I could do this for you? It's been real popular this month with the older girls." Daphne arched a blonde brow in my direction. "I think you'd look cute. Don't you Dean?"

Dean shrugged but never looked up from his Charms book. "She looks just fine."

Daphne snorted, "You'd think so."

I resisted the urge to grab the back of my neck. I hadn't talked about that day in Ollivander's wand library. Because of this, I haven't allowed Daphne to do my hair since the holiday. Instead, I told her that I wanted to practice doing it myself. And so every night I made sure I brushed my hair combed out the knots. In some cases, the entire hair came out with the knots. But anything to continue wearing my hair down instead in one of Daphne's up-do's. _"Hair in the face is for ugly girls."_ She'd say. As long as I kept my hair pinned behind my ears, she let it be. "I'm okay, Daphne. Really."

"Well don't you want to be someone's Valentine today?"

My nose involuntarily scrunched up at the idea. "I don't think so. I mean, I've never been anyone's Valentine before. In my old class, we used to give out valentines and candy to everyone in class. But I don't think that counts."

Daphne's brows shot up. "Is that a real muggle custom? Is Valentine's day not for love where you're from?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "When you're in grade school, it is expected. It's so that no one feels left out. As you get older, you only give Valentine's to close friends or people you like." With that, Dean snapped his book closed and shoved it into his sack. "I'm going to meet Seamus and Neville out on the quidditch pitch and watch Gryffindor practice."

I closed my Charms book, rushing to try and catch up. "Oh wait! We'll come with you," I called out as Dean rounded the table.

Dean's hand shot up. "Don't. Just stay here and talk about your hair or whatever." And with that he was gone.

I turned to Daphne, who hadn't budged at all. She casually flipped to the next page of her magazine detailing the rising popularity of love potion specialty products. "Is Dean mad at us?"

Daphne smirked at me. "Now why would Dean be upset with _us_ , Mary?"

I shrugged even while I thought back carefully over the past couple months since our Christmas holiday. I couldn't think of a thing but lately he had been a little short with me. Especially today. "I don't know. Did I say something stupid?"

Daphne barked out a laugh. "No. In fact you don't say much lately."

She's on to me.

The Slytherin motioned for me to follow her to the bathroom because she needed to change her pad. I waited while she spoke to me through the stall. "How's your pen pal? He wrote you today," she asked, interrupting my thought of why the plastic tearing seemed so much louder in the bathroom.

During breakfast that morning, Lovets, Victor's huge beast of an owl, swooped in with a letter. Since we've met, we have exchanged letters. He started taking his English classes again and I couldn't always understand what he was saying, but I tried my best. He would also write in a few phrases in Bulgarian for me to learn. Like Good morning. Good afternoon. Lovets' name meant Hunter in English. This particular letter came with a small box of Banana nut bread. I had never had it before but it was delicious! The letter read Happy Valentine's Day. It was scary how quickly Victor could learn. Soon, he'd know better English than me. It was shameful really. "Victor's good. He's training for the junior-national Quidditch championship."

Daphne came out of the stall, that same smirk on her face. "You two seem really chummy with him sending you food and everything. I can't believe you just ran off with him like that. Very Gryffindor of you." I couldn't tell if that was an insult or not. Daphne was good at that. "It sounds so romantic."

"It isn't like that. He's just a fan of my real dad's. That's all. You read too many romance novels." It was true. If Daphne didn't have a fashion magazine, she was flipping through some book with a shirtless man on the cover.

"It isn't just me. Dean thought so too."

"Did not!" Did he? It was possible. Since Christmas, Dean and Daphne had taken to hanging out together too. Dean and Daphne are both really smart so they have a lot in common I suppose.

"Why does that bother you?"

"Dean doesn't sit around thinking about that sort of stuff. Just you," I moped, swinging open the bathroom door and leading us back to the library table. "I don't have a boyfriend! I don't want a boyfriend! It's sinful. I just want to study and make friends and eat bread."

"You are too simple, Mary."

Now I was grumpy. All anyone wanted to talk about today was like-liking boys and sending Valentines. Such a stupid holiday. "We should go get lunch before all the good food is gone."

"You mean the croissants?"

My stomach growled at the mention of them. "Yes." I lifted my charms book to place in my bag, and nearly dropped it in surprise. Underneath was a small heart shaped piece of gold paper. I picked it up and flipped it over. "Dear Mary, You're the coolest…Animouse-"

"Anonymous, Mary. _Anonymous_." Daphne swiped the little thing from my hand and examined it closely. "Coward couldn't even leave their name."

I don't know why I was smiling. I couldn't describe why I was happy. Someone thought I was cool. The _coolest_. "Do you think Dean left it?" I asked. Maybe that was why he was so upset. How long ago had he slipped that under my book and I didn't look. I should have known to look.

"I doubt it," Daphne mumbled. "Dean has far neater handwriting and if he wanted to give you a Valentine, I imagine he'd just give it to you. At the very _least_ he'd leave his name. Wouldn't want to leave _you_ of all people guessing after who it could be from."

Again, I was confused what she meant. She handed the little heart back to me. "It's my first Valentine. I should at least know who left it for me?" I sniffed it, ignoring Daphne's giggle. "Maybe Cedric?"

"No."

She was right. I knew Cedric's handwriting and he wouldn't secretly slip me a note. If he wanted to give me something, he'd slap it in my lap or send it with a letter on what I need to work on. It would say something chapped-lipped like _Dear Mary, You could be cooler_ or something like that. "It smells like cheese."

Daphne picked her magazine and her pack up. "I helped you not get killed by a Cerberus and confront a family of blood-thirsty trolls. You can handle this one on your own."

I watched her walk away in shock, though she wasn't wrong. Well who needed her or Dean for every little thing? I could find the sender of a stupid little Valentine. What's the worst that could happen?

I ignored the cold breeze and passing darkness that floated just beyond my vision.


	29. Chapter 29: The Worst That Could Happen2

Chapter 29: The Worst That Could Happen Part 2

The first step to any good detective work: track down a witness. As far as I could tell, I was the only one currently in the library. I made my way to the front desk to check with the librarian Ma'am Pince. She was pretty pale and wore this dark red lipstick with a smirk that made her look like the witch that gave Hansel and Gretel candy.

"Good afternoon, Ma'am Pince?" She looked up from her scroll to give me an annoyed look. "I was wondering if I could ask you a question."

"You just did, child. And it's _Madame_ Pince."

"Oh! Like the nurse! Okay I'm sorry. Um, Madame I was wondering if you happened to see anyone leavin' the library recently?"

"Many of you come and go. You will have to be specific."

She was so sharp, but I pressed forward anyway. Good detective work didn't flinch in the face of hur- _hurdles_. "It would- um- be a boy I guess?" I dug into the pocket of my robes when she rolled her eyes. "I just want to track down who gave me this," I went further, handing over the anonymous Valentine. "Someone left it under my Charms book when I went to the bathroom. I'm trying to find out who it was."

Something softened in Madame's eyes as she turned it over in her hand. "Youth," I could hear her mutter to herself before she handed it back over to me. "There's a bit of magic that could easily help you find out who left this for you."

"What spell?!"

"I will not say." She rolled her scroll back up, no longer making eye contact. "You will learn it as it comes to you in your syllabus. Besides, getting the spell wrong could destroy it." I flinched protectively over my little piece of evidence, tucking it away in my pocket next to my wand. "There were two students that departed a few moments ago that may have seen your admirer."

"What did they look like?"

"One Ravenclaw. The other was that Hufflepuff girl that was attacked by the troll."

My blood froze. "L-Leanne?"

"That would be the one. Now go. I have work to be done." Madame turned her back, ending the conversation.

I stammered out a small thank you and left the library.

Leanne. Leanne. Leanne.

I had seen her. Well, we saw each other. But it was like there was this thing between us. I wanted to ask her if she was alright. She had missed so much school. I took one step toward her and she practically hissed at me before putting as much distance between us as possible. It had been hard for her at the time. She had a limp now. She wore black tights to hide what I was sure were scars on her leg. If you looked closely enough, you could even see it was a little crooked.

Maybe this was the excuse I needed to apologize! I'm not sure exactly what I needed to apologize for. I _did_ save her life after all. But my Papa apologizes to Mama all the time without knowing what he did wrong so maybe if I just apologize, we could go back to being…whatever we were. Not enemies?

I stopped to talk to a Gryffindor boy sitting in the hallway alone outside the library. He looked like he was waiting for someone and looked up _._ when I approached him. I recognized him when he looked up.

Stupid Harry Potts.

"Have you seen Leanne?" I asked. I think it came out kind of ruder than I meant it to. I shouldn't be mean. I don't even know him. At his puzzled look I eeee-…. _eeeelaaaboro- eeeelaaaboooorrrrated._ Elaborated. At his puzzled look, I elaborated. "The Hufflepuff girl in our year? She's been out of school because of the troll accident?"

His green eyes rounded. "Someone was attacked by the troll that night?"

I didn't really notice I had been staring until he started to squirm in discomfort. He didn't know? He really hadn't heard? He really didn't know?! "…Do you even know who I am?" At least he had the nerve to blush in embarrassment. I mean, this was a really big school. You won't know everyone. Of course, you won't. But I could name you everyone I have at least three classes with. Definitely if a troll nearly ripped their leg off!

"Harry." His bushy haired friend that stole my book came around the corner just then. Hermione. She looked like she was returning a stack of books herself. "What are you doing here?"

He visibly relaxed. "Waiting for Ron. He's not back yet." They both paused to look at me. Clearly, I was the intruder here even though _I'm_ not the one who interrupted. "She's looking for a Laura-"

"Leanne."

"A Leanne. From Hufflepuff."

"Oh!" Hermione pointed off to the hall she just came from. "She and Lisa just walked that way."

Finally! Something useful! I was one step closer to solving the mystery of the anonymous Valentine. No time for a thank you. I bounded around the corner and down the hall. They couldn't have gotten too far.

I thought I spied the ghost of Almost-Headless-Nicholas floating above but the second I looked up, he was disappearing into the side of a wall. The ghosts, that were normally always floating around, seemed to be missing a lot lately. At least, I hadn't seen them much. Dean still complained every now and then about Peeves. He was the evil spirit that liked to bully the living.

I made a right when I heard the growing sound of raised voices coming from the exit to the grounds. I came to find Lisa, a Ravenclaw girl, and Leanne having what I quickly realized was an argument. I ducked slightly back behind the wall, feeling like an intruder and maybe this exact moment wouldn't be the time to ask if she'd seen who left behind my Valentine.

"I don't understand what you're asking me," Lisa said shaking her head and hugging her books closer to her chest.

Leanne bounced from foot to foot, hands gripping the end of her skirt. "I just really need a friend right now. I need _you_ to be my friend."

"I understand what happened to you-"

"You don't understand anything!" she snapped. Lisa took a large step back from her. "I-I'm sorry. You've just been so nice to me."

Lisa attempted a smile, but it came out a grimace. "You got attacked by a troll, Leanne. I was just helping you catch up with your assignments, but I don't really know you…"

"You could get to know me!" Leanne reached out a forcibly grabbed Lisa's hand, forcing her to drop her book. It was in this moment that I really felt like I shouldn't be seeing this. Something told me to stop this. I wanted to interrupt but my feet were frozen in place. I was being a dirty eavesdropper. I shouldn't be here. "I've fallen too far behind. I need an Advisor. That has to be you!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Lisa attempted to get her hand back, but Leanne's grip was too tight. "Let go. You're hurting me!"

Leanne ignored her request. "I could explain everything," she pleaded instead with a smile. What was she doing? "About the Hufflepuff. The secret society. Everything! I can't come in last again."

NO! I leapt from around the corner. "Leanne, don't!" But I was too late. I knew I was too late. Alarm bells rang louder than I'd ever heard before. The floor shifted, and there were black spots. It came and all at once it was gone. I could tell Leanne had felt it too. She stood completely still, allowing for Lisa to yank her hand away successfully.

"Freak!" she spat. "Just stay away from me. Find someone else to help you." Scooping her book into her arms, she stomped off.

Instead of watching her failed attempt at securing an advisor walk away, Leanne looked to me. Her eyes were wide at the realization that I had been there. "Leanne…"

"How long have you been there?" It was a whisper, but I'd heard it anyway.

We both know I saw it all. "I'm sorry," I apologized instead. "You…you really shouldn't have said any of that. I don't think that was a good i-…idea…" The words died on my lips. Behind her, a good distance away, glittered gold. It was the shiniest woman I had ever seen. Was I the only one that could see her? She felt familiar. And frightening. Was she an angel? She noticed my staring. A single golden ringed finger raised to her smirking lips. _Shhh._ I think she meant fer' me to shut up about her.

"Why is it always you?!" Leanne shouted, snapping me out of it. Another quick glanced showed me that the angel was gone. "Why can't you ever just mind your own business!"

I adjusted my bag and shrugged. "I'm sure Lisa will come around. You're a nice girl and-"

"Oh, shut up!" Leanne turned and ran. "Just stay away from me!"

A cold having nothing to do with the February frost settled over me as I watched her, surprisingly, run away. A dark figure I couldn't exactly see left my side. "Leanne! Wait!" I knew I shouldn't follow her. Every instinct I had said to stay put. That feeling just a moment ago. Leanne had done something wrong. Very wrong. I should run as far away from wherever she was going to be as I could.

So why did I run after her?


	30. Chapter 30:The Worst That Could Happen3

Chapter 30: The Worst That Could Happen Part 3

"Leanne!"

"Leanne!"

"Leanne, come back!"

"We can't be out here!"

"LEANNE!"

How had she gotten away so quickly? I could run pretty fast, but I lost her in the forest.

The forbidden forest. The VERY forbidden forest. The forest with the strange noises, that was forbidden. The story of forbidden fruit came to mind. Eve bit that apple. Leanne ran into the forest. Then Adam had some apple. And now I'm entering the forest too.

We're both going to get kicked out of school. Why did I follow her?

" _One of you is going to die before the school year is out."_

" _The point wasn't for you to find Leanne. You don't get it, do you? The price is going to be paid. There's no getting around it, no matter how hard you try. One of you will die…"_

" _Why can't we help each other? Hufflepuff are kind, right?..."_

" _You don't know what it takes to be Hufflepuff."_

" _The list reads as follows. Number eight, Leanne Merrymount-"_

" _Leanne came to me begging for a way that she could prove herself more capable than any of you lot. She was desperate for a way to show you up in particular. The precious McGowen who's only been ranked first because of your birth parents."_

I wasn't paying very good attention to where I was going. The trees grew thicker until they blocked the sun. Had she even ran this far? Maybe I missed her in the dark and she'd turned around. That's what I should do. Turn around. "OOF!" There was a sharp pain in my foot and then immediately in my head. I think I had fallen? I did. And I hit my head. My vision was swimming. Everything was blurring and doubled in the way that I only ever experienced during an episode.

I landed in something wet and when I looked to my hands, they were silver and felt sticky. Whatever I landed in was thick and it smelled like…like…like honey? And farts? Like a sweet pie but filled with rotten eggs. The combination of the smell, the pain, and my eyesight made me throw up. I'm sure I looked a gross mess. I couldn't even lift my arm to wipe my chin without missing and there were chunks dripping down my neck.

I should have left.

Black spiderwebs began to take over my vision. Maybe if I just closed my eyes for a little? I laid back into the wet mess and rested my eyes for just a little. I must have hit my head pretty hard because I kept hearing this…a chattering click clacking sound. Like when Professor McGonagall chased after one of the students down the hall. I was hearing a lot of Ms. McGonalls.

A cold settled over me and I knew Death was nearby.


	31. Chapter 31: Can't Catch A Break

Chapter 31: Can't Catch A Break

 _Cedric_

In through the nose. Out through the mouth. In through the nose. Out through the mouth.

The crisp winter air of Scotland burned through my nostrils and set my lungs on fire with the exertion I put myself through. I couldn't stop now. I couldn't allow myself. I needed to remain strong. Sharp. Focused.

And my biggest distraction was safely tucked away in the library studying with her two more responsible and less trouble making friends. Even, to my surprise, the Slytherin girl.

I came up to my usual checkpoint where a brick ledge protruded out from the side of the castle wall. I picked up the pace and sprung forward, toes on my left dug into the wall and UP! With another quick breath the toes on my right pressed to the wall and UP again! Two more times until I could grasp that ledge. It was time for pull-ups.

As I lifted myself again and again, I went over strategy.

Now that Mary was ranked number one, how to keep her there? Hannah Abbot was no one's queen. She was too nervous. Too fidgety. She was a bright girl but definitely more fit to serve than to lead. Zacharias Smith, an annoyance, but no real threat to anyone except himself. He'd likely do something stupid eventually to get himself disqualified or worse. Susan Bones was still definitely one to watch out for. Now Ernest…he really came from nowhere didn't he. Smart. Strong. Confident. All the things you need in a leader. A lot of the things Mary was not.

I was going to have to do something about that.

My workouts were always a good time to think and I had been lacking them lately. Mary was so…was so…high maintenance! I mean, how badly does this kid want to die?!

When I was a child, my father read me a story of a muggle chicken farm. The baby chicks raised on the farm were highly accident prone and, if not kept under tight supervision, were prone to die. One drowned here. One ran under a barrel wheel there. They had no sense of self preservation.

Mary was that baby chick.

I should have known she would be trouble from the day I earned the right to choose first who my Eligible would be. I was the strongest of my class. The smartest. Well…the most well-rounded.

Professor Sprout gathered the Guides in a training room after the results had come in. Queen Sow Helga Hufflepuff herself had chosen and I came out on top. We sat around a large tree stump table as she laid several photos. "All you will have is a photo and a name. You will not receive their files until after you have already committed to a Sow or Boar. This," she laid out a photo of a young girl through a window, "Is Hannah Abbott." She was sitting in a large arm chair reading a book, shiny black shoes kicking back and forth. I only spared the girl a short glance. It wasn't that she didn't seem promising. Head in a book. From a good family. Maybe a little skinny but nothing terrible. However, after a special late visit the night before, I had been had been advised not to make a decision too soon. I made no move to grab the photo and so Pamona proceeded on. The next photo was a boy stepping out of a black town car with the assistance of a uniformed gentleman. "Justin Finch-Fletchley." Wealthy. Muggle-born maybe? The name wasn't familiar. "Susan Bones. Padma Patil. Meagan Jones. Leanne Merrymount. Neville Longbottom. Blaise Zabini. Zacharias Smith. Ronald Weasley. Ernest Macmillan."

There were some surprising names there, I will admit. The Longbottom orphan? Zacharias Smith- that thieving family was being allowed into Hufflepuff? A Weasley? That pack of gingers had all been sorted into Gryffindor as far as I know. Susan Bones seemed the obvious choice out of the group. A photo was of her playing a game of Quidditch with some of her cousins. Athletic. The Bones name came with a stellar reputation of powerful figures with strong ties to Hufflepuff. There were some characters here, but certainly none to warrant the conversation I had last night.

At least I thought so.

"Mary McGowen-Smith."

The room became deathly silent as the last photo slid across the table. I can still remember the shock. The thrill. The utter excitement and disbelief. A McGowen. A McGowen! I snatched the photo up before anyone else could crowd to get a good enough look. A short brunette, average build, dragging a trash bag almost entirely her size to the end of the street to plop into a can. She wasn't as impressive in photo as Susan, but she was a McGowen. There was no way she wasn't a sure thing. All she would need is some simple guidance.

Simple guidance my arse.

She grew up in the muggle world- she may as well have been a muggleborn. Strike one.

She had a learning disability and the attention span of a gold fish. Strike two.

She had virtually NO social skills. A tuna in a pool of sharks. A McGowen of all people being bullied! Strike three.

Oh, and she was a shit flier.

I tried my best to put her at ease during the opening ceremony. She was visibly a bundle of nerves and almost didn't drink from the fountain. It even seemed And while I watched the Guides that had chosen incorrectly have their hopes crushed when Weasley, Patil, Longbottom, and Zabini refused their initiation, I couldn't help but sigh in relief.

From there on it was me dogging her every step. Five times saving her from a near death drop on the moving stairs. Three times saving her from near fatal pranks at the hands of Peeves the Poltergeist. One troll. The girl was determined to be a sacrifice. And then where would that leave me? Full of regrets like my father? "I don't think so," I growled to myself, lifting into another pull up.

Despite my many frustrations, Mary had managed to do a lot. She had managed to find two advisors- even if I didn't totally agree with her choice in befriending a Greengrass. She had managed to be ranked number one during the last ranking ceremony. She even completed a task. And while she struggled with her studies, her efforts didn't go unnoticed.

Then there was the day she punched Zacharias in the face. Outside of being a seer, she was somehow able to channel enough focus to cast a spell through her fist. That was a real and rare talent. That was something I could work with.

"You're deceptively strong for being so starved." I halted my routine, looking down to see who spoke. It Margaret, a Hufflepuff 5th year girl. I dropped from the wall.

"I suppose." I dusted my hands off on my Quidditch shorts. "Did you want something?" There was something not right with her. The hair on my arms and on my neck began to rise and it had nothing to do with the cold.

Margaret gave a small smirk. "Do I want something." Her voice had a strange lilt to it. Musical. There was something familiar about it but I had spoken to Margaret so few times- if at all- that I couldn't place it. When I look expectantly at her, she crossed her arms and leaned again he wall. "I just saw something that might interest you. Your little egg. She might have wandered off and gotten herself cracked."

I immediately tensed. "Mary's doing homework with her friends."

"Is she?" Margaret laughed now. "You don't sound so confident, Boy."

"What is it to you?" My fists balled at my sides. I hated the feeling of worry gripping me. If she had gone and gotten herself into trouble AGAIN. The image of her hiccupping, eyes full of unshed tears, lying in the nurse wing while she recounted her the story of her abuse.

Damn it.

I made to go around Margaret, but she reached out to stop me. "This could be your chance to look the other way. I warned you that choosing that child won't end well for you." Eyes wide as saucers, I turned and gave her a closer look. Margaret was glowing. Her eyes almost looked gold. "Just think about it before you go rushing into something you might regret." With that she released my arm and sauntered off.

How could I not have noticed? That was the Queen Mother herself. Helga Hufflepuff.


	32. Chapter 32: The Worst That Could Happen4

Chapter 32: The Worst That Could Happen Part 4

Back home in Mississippi, we had this yellow flower printed porch swing. When I was smaller, I'd throw my legs over the back and hang my head over the edge of the seat. And every now and then I'd reach my arms down and give the swing a push. I liked being upside down like that. I could feel the blood rush to my face, and my hair would swing back and forth cooling my scalp. I'd wear shorts under my skirt so nothing showed if it flipped up. I hadn't realized I missed those moments. Mama loved that porch swing. She'd had it since she was a little girl even.

She never forgave me for flipping the house on it.

If I concentrated real hard, I could almost imagine I was back in that moment. Hair swinging in the breeze, blood rushing to my face. I just needed to reach out and give the swing another push.

My arm felt fixed to my side. It wouldn't budge. Neither of them would. Slowly I pried my eyes open at to sound of quiet sobbing. The hot southern sun was nowhere to be found. It was dark. My eyes were blurry, but the trees of the forbidden forest finally came into focus. "What's going on?" I croaked. I didn't even recognize my own voice. I almost sounded like a frog.

And why was I hangin' upside down?

Instant panic shot through me. Where was I?! What happened?! I looked around but I couldn't see anyone, and I was dangling from a tree. Something very sticky and strong like a superglue had me cocooned from the shoulders down. I couldn't even wiggle a finger. "Hello!" I yelled out, listening to nothing but my own echo reply. "Is anyone there?! Help!"

"Don't waste your breath," came a growl from behind me. I recognized that voice.

"Leanne? Leanne is that you?" When the voice didn't respond I craned my neck to try and see. The cocoon wiggled just a little in that direction, so I kept it up, using the momentum until the string holding me up twisted me back and forth. There was Leanne, hanging from a branch behind me. "Leanne!" I shouted between passes. It made me dizzy to keep spinning back and forth like this but how else would I see the sour look on her face? "I found you!"

I think she rolled her eyes but I couldn't tell too clearly. "You sure about that?" I tried better to focus on her whenever she came into my line of vision. Her face looked a lot like a tomato. Did I look like that? "You shouldn't have come after me."

I tried my best to shrug but my shoulders didn't move at all. "Well we're here now. Where exactly are we? How did we get up here-"

"Keep your voice down," she hissed. "Or they'll hear you."

The spinning slowed until I swayed back and forth without being able to see her anymore. "Who?"

She almost seemed to choke on her answer. "The spiders."

Spiders? I wasn't afraid of spiders. "Well that ain't no big deal." I tried using my head to bounce my cocoon, testing the strength of the string I hung from. "If I could just get loose, I'll take off my shoe and-"

"Are you trying to land on your head? You won't get loose but if you did, you'd crack open like a cantaloupe." I stopped bouncing and looked down. I suppose she had a point. I should pray on it before trying again. I may not know how to get loose, but maybe Jesus would. "And I think you don't know exactly what kind of spiders trapped us up here."

"How did you get up here, Leanne?"

It was quiet for a moment. "I'm not sure exactly. And what does it matter anyway? You felt it." She didn't need to el…explain further. I knew what she meant, even if I wasn't sure what it was. "This is it, Mary. We're going to die. You really _really_ should have just minded your own."

Death? I could feel the cold again. No! No no. I wasn't going to die. WE weren't going to die. I didn't come this far to die. Dean and Daphne would start to wonder where I was right? They'd come looking for me eventually. And Cedric- "Cedric! Cedric somehow always knows where I am. He'll find us! He's like a sheer on a sheep, he couldn't get any closer. Never lets me out of his sight for long. He's my Guide after all."

Leanne snorted at that. "Must be nice." But somehow, I could feel the small bit of hope coming from her, even though I couldn't see her.

And I could feel it fade as the hours winded down. It grew even darker. It got colder. These spider webs did nothing to keep us warm while we hung here. I couldn't feel my legs anymore.

"He isn't coming, is he?"

My teeth chattered. I could see my breath. "He'll be here. We just have to have faith that the Lord will guide him here…this deep into the Forbidden Forest."

"The Lord?"

"Do you believe in God, Leanne?"

"What, you mean like Merlin?"

Sometimes I forgot magic was religion here. "No. I prayed to God back in Mississippi. I prayed He would change my life. Maybe help me find out what really happened to my parents. Then a demon-err, a witch appeared. Brought me here. It was too late for me to meet my parents, but I suppose I had never met them anyway. Nothing to miss there. At least I found out my mom wasn't a prostitute."

Leanne choked on her spit. "Why would you think that?!"

"My Mama told me. She said she found me in a dumpster. That some teenage prostitute dumped me there."

"…If she found you in the dumpster, how does she know who dumped you there?"

It was quiet. I think I didn't have anything to say because I was faced with a very obvious question that highlighted how stupid I was. Leanne was raised English. These are the types of things you know to think when you're English.

I had a lot to learn.

"What-…what kind of prayers do you usually..um..pray?"

I was starting to get sleepy. Surely Cedric had noticed I was missing by now? Dinner had to have already started. "You can say anything really. Praying to God is all about just having a conversation. Most days I just tell him what I did that day. Pray for the motivation to do my homework." Oh did I just hear Leanne giggle. "Or if you know any Psalms, those are good too. Sometimes repeating them can make you feel better."

"Like what?"

I tried my best to shake off the sleep. I swung my head to build up the same momentum as before so I could spin and see Leanne again. Her face looked like a plum now. " _Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me._ Something like that. It helps me be brave when I feel scared and alone. Like when I have to go to the dentist er somethin'."

"What is a dentist?"

"Oh, um, someone who uh, cleans your teeth."

"Can muggles not clean their own teeth?"

"No, uh, I guess not." There was another pause before we both broke into laughter. I almost choked on my spit. The bit of if I coughed up dripped into my eye, reminding me of whatever was crusted to my eyelashes. Mud? Probably.

Another hour passed and it grew even colder. I felt myself beginning to fall asleep when suddenly, I heard a distant rattling sound. No not rattling. Click clacking? It was the same noise I heard when I passed out the first time. "Oh no," Leanne whispered. Her voice trembled. "They're back."

I threw my head with as much energy as I could muster. The sound came from behind me. At first there was nothing. Leanne began sobbing, tears rolling into her blonde bangs. I looked passed her, but I couldn't see anything at first.

And then I did.

First it they looked like stars in the sky. Glassy yellow and red reflections catching what little moonlight shined through the trees. It was beautiful. Then the first spider stepped out of the tree-line into the clearing. It was HUGE. At least the size of a German Shepheard. Then another, then another until they painted the floor. Their feet made soft thumps in the dirt but their pincers clicking together is what echoed into the woods. They were so big. So, SO BIG. I shouldn't have come here. The hair on my neck stood. We were in real trouble this time. I mean, with those trolls I was afraid, sure. But I wasn't alone. I had Dean and Daphne. I had my wand. I had magic. I had God.

As I watched the spiders climb the trees we hung from, terror gripped me. It's the first time since coming to Hogwarts that I felt like…this is a Godless place.

 **(Hey Everyone! Thank you so much to everyone that's been reading and an extra special thank you to anyone that left a review, followed or favorited. It really is a motivation and the notifications that pop up on my phone reminds me to try and make time to write when my mind is elsewhere. I've had a bit of a rough pregnancy. Then we found out my husband was going overseas so I am currently caring for the most adorable baby that needs all the love and attention and more attention in the world. She's a month old and in those few moments where she naps I selfishly chose to eat or sleep or shower. Now that she's a month old and I am getting** _ **slightly**_ **more sleep day to day, I will try to update more. Thank you all again!)**


	33. Ch 33: Don't Concern Yourself With Huffl

" _Have you ever noticed the ghosts tend to steer clear of the third floor? Sometimes I see Peeves there but even he doesn't stay for long."_

 _-Lee Jordan_

Chapter 33: Don't Concern Yourself With Hufflepuff

"Look a them. All throwing themselves at him," Seamus sneered from their seats in the stands. He stood and cupped his hands around his mouth. "He doesn't need to be distracted you know!"

The group of girls either didn't hear him or didn't mind him. They waited giggling behind their hands for the moment practice was over so they could shower Oliver Wood with their valentines.

There was no getting away from it, was there?

The Gryffindor girls, Mary and Daphne, and now the older girls here. Everyone was in a Valentine's craze.

I wish the day would just end already.

Neville gasped in excitement at a maneuver pulled by one of the beaters, drawing our attention back to their practice. Seamus seated himself again, though he still seemed disgruntled. "Isn't it crazy that Harry Potter made the team?"

Neville shrugged. "He's a celebrity, isn't he? That's what happens to exceptional people."

"He's just a regular bloke. What did he even do so special anyway? He just happened to get attacked by You-know-who. Your parents got attacked too Neville. What makes Harry Potter any better than you?"

Neville looked uncomfortable at Seamus' new direction in conversation, so I redirected. He was too polite to tell Seamus himself. "Have either of you gotten Valentines today?"

Neville shrugged. "Professor Sprout gave me a chocolate frog. She said it's a shame I wasn't Hufflepuff material."

Seamus snorted at that. "Who wants to be a stinking Hufflepuff? _All the rest_. They're the wastebin House."

"That's a little harsh," I admonished but I knew it would fall on deaf ears. Seamus, I found, is always very decided in his opinions. "Mary's a Hufflepuff."

"Well Mary's right where she's meant to be, isn't she?" Seamus shrugged. Neville shot me a quick look before focusing back on the Gryffindor practice match. Sometimes it was difficult to tell if Seamus liked Mary much. At times he almost seemed to worry about her. Other times he couldn't stand to hear about her. "Did you get anything, Dean?" I shook my head no. "Not even from Mary?"

My face grew hot. "Sod off." Was I that obvious to everyone except her? "She and Daphne are too busy talking about the different ways to tie her hair. And trying to figure out who left Mary that anonymous valentine-"

"My slow Yankee cousin got a valentine before you did?!"

"Don't call her that!"

Seamus held his hands in the air but he could stop himself from laughing. Arse. "I got a chocolate bunny from Eloise Midgen."

"Eloise?" Neville looked up in surprise. "That's a surprise. She's so shy."

I nodded in agreement. "The only boy I've ever seen her talk to was…was…well- Neville actually."

"We share Herbology notes sometimes."

Something told me to ask. "Which one is Eloise, Seamus?"

My best mate kicked his feet up, using one trainer to scrape a bit of earth off the bottom of the other. "Well she wasn't too shy. Maybe a little. Blonde hair. Kind of wide face. Huge bow-"

Neville and I replied in unison. "That's Lavender Brown."

"I could have sworn-"

I clapped Seamus on the back. "Mate, there has to be something in your whole _How to be a mans man_ code that says you should remember a girl's name at least. Especially if she confesses to you."

"Why should I?!" Seamus at least had the nerve to be embarrassed. "And what confession? All she said was that she thought I was a cool guy."

 _Dear Mary, You're the coolest._ That stupid anonymous valentine. Who gave it to her anyway? As if Viktor Krum and Cedric Diggory weren't enough. The only other boys she interacted with were myself, her cousin, and Neville. And Neville would have told if he fancied Mary at all. Wouldn't he? I gave him a quick look. A bit pudgy, but tall. Cheeks red for seemingly no reason. The cold maybe. Strong I guess but he was mostly, well, cowardly. How Neville was even a Gryffindor at all was still confusing enough but I'm sure there was something about him under all of that. Now that I think about it, an anonymous valentine would be exactly the kind of thing he would do. I turned my attention back to Seamus, wanting to be rid of the thought of my friend and Mary. Why did she have to be so pretty? "What did you say to her? When she gave it to you?"

Seamus shrugged again, now picking at the calluses on his palms. "I said thank you."

"…That's all?"

"Well I am a cool guy. Can I blame her? What else should I have said?"

"That's cold."

Neville rested his hands on his fists. "Do you reckon you could fancy her back?"

Seamus' face winced in disgust. "A girl like Eloise-err Lavender? Never. She's too..too…ruffly."

"…Ruffly?"

"Yes ruffles. Ruffles and ribbons and bows. And lipstick. She's too ridiculous. I like a girl like…like…I don't know. Just not _her_."

There was a silence for a bit and then Neville asked. "Well did you eat it the bunny?"

"Well I tried. As soon as I opened the package, it hopped off."

Another long silence and Neville spoke up again. "I heard Lee Jordan suddenly really fancies Lavender. I wonder if he's had any chocolate lately."

I snorted out a laugh. We watched practice and played cards on the pitch for almost the entire day. We watched Oliver Wood politely turn down valentines from five different girls. Soon the night came, and it was time for dinner. We all filed into the Great Hall where we were treated with floating hearts and themed desserts. My eyes traveled to the Hufflepuff dinner table. I couldn't spot Mary there, but I couldn't see Cedric either. They were probably together somewhere doing…well…I don't really know what they do. I hoped it had nothing to do with the Cerberus. I didn't want May anywhere near that thing alone. Not that she was alone if Cedric was with her. I would just prefer to be there too. To keep her safe.

I looked to Slytherin hoping to catch Daphne's attention and to my relief she must have had the same idea. She was already looking at me. I silently mouthed to her "Where are they?" She shrugged back at me. Worry started to creep on me. I tried to shake it off. They would be here, maybe late. There was no way Mary was going to miss these heart shaped rolls.

It grew later. Dinner was almost over. Where _was she_?

"You alright, mate?" Seamus asked from around a mouthful of dragonfruit and strawberry chunk icecream.

"Yeah," I replied. I didn't want to alarm Seamus. There were things I did with Mary and Daphne that he really didn't need to know about. And drawing his attention to Mary's absence might unnecessarily involve him.

Moments later there was a commotion at the Hufflepuff supper table. All the first years were convulsing. Groaning and moaning, hunched over the table or fallen on their backs. "Oh Dear!" Professor Sprout stood with a huge laugh. "It seems the youngest in all the excitement might have over stuffed themselves again." She laughed her way over to her house table and waved away the attention of the other adults. "Don't you mind. You know how it is the second you take the children away from the watchful eye of their parents. They overstuff themselves on sweets. Hoho!" She placed a hand on the shoulder of one of the Hufflepuff prefects. "How about you gather a dew of the others and help them back to the dormitories early dear."

He nodded and himself, and a few…maybe third or fourth year students? They gathered the distressed students up and ushered them out of the Great Hall. Just as the doors closed behind them, you could hear Hannah Abbot and Meagan Jones scream bloody murder. Just a stomach ache?

"Hufflepuff," Another older Gryffindor student scoffed. "Such drama queens. That house is full of weirdos and Pamona babies them too much."

Anyone who might have looked confused as to what was going on settled and laughed or snorted in agreement. "They're always like that. It's always something with them right?"

"That's why they'll never win the House Cup."

"Who eats themselves into a stomach ache? Their sigil should be the dog, not the badger."

"Good one."

I could not eat dessert. I kept sneaking looks to Daphne who I could easily see was just as anxious. Dinner soon ended and we were released. There would be no talking to Daphne tonight. We were escorted to our dorms tonight. I would just have to hope that Cedric's additional absence meant nothing terrible had happened.

What in the hell was up with that House?

The next morning for breakfast I may have been up earlier than anyone else. I don't believe I slept really. Was Harry always so noisy in his sleep? I had never noticed before.

I found her the second I entered the room. Mary was hunched over the table. Her hair was tangled and fell loose in her face. Her fists were balled on the table, a fork in one hand and a butter knife in the other. "Mary!" She didn't seem to hear me. I approached her, giving her a tap on the shoulder, not expecting the attack that came next. Mary swung instantly, nearly stabbing me with her fork, then another near miss with the knife. "Whoa! Whoa, stop it!" I grasped at her wrists, even gave her a small shake for good measure. "Bloody hell, stop!" She had dark circles under her left eye, a black eye on the right. I could tell when clarity came back into her eyes. Her fists went slack, she dropped her utensils and threw herself onto me.

"Dean!" She cried. Her hold was air tight I instinctually hugged her back. It was awkward. Mary was a bit taller than me. I ignored the giggles of a couple of passing Ravenclaw girls. Her tears soaked into the shoulder of my robes.

"What's wrong?" I asked. I pulled her away just enough to look at her again. Some of her hair had come loose into my hand. Full strands. My first thought oddly was that Daphne wouldn't be happy about that. "Where were you last night?" I slowly helped her settle down on the table bench. "Who did this to you?"

"Sp-spiders," she choked around more cries though I could tell she was doing her best to settle down. The plate next to us rattled on its own. She closed here eyes tight and breathed deep, yanking her hands to her chest and gripping them until her knuckles turned white. The plate settled and I realized she had almost snapped. When she spoke again, it was in a quiet wheezing. "There were so many. So many I…I couldn't."

"Couldn't what Mary? Was this another thing you had to do? Like with the trolls? Daphne and I would have helped you. Where was Cedric-"

At the mention of Cedric's name, she bowed and cried again. "Cedric came. He saved me. He saved my life. But he was too late for…I was so sure he would be there. I promised her. And now she's gone. I was too _stupid_ to save her myself and now she's gone."

Had she gone mad? I think I should take her to Madame Pomphrey. "Who's gone Mary? Who couldn't you help?"

" _Leanne._ I couldn't save Leanne. I ran after her and-and- and I was useless. I couldn't help her and then I couldn't even help myself!"

I wasn't sure what she was talking about or what happened last night but Mary could be very tight lipped about things I've found. I don't know why she had so many secrets but while she was talking, I planned to get everything from her that I could. Starting with, "Who's Leanne?"

She looked up at me. "Leanne. Leanne Merrymount." She must have read the confusion on my face. " _LEEANNE._ The girl we saved from the trolls. That Leanne."

She was definitely mad. "We should go see the nurse, Mary." I reached for her but this time she smacked my hand away.

"Leanne, Dean."

"Mary, there was just you, I, and Daphne that night. No one else was-"

"You _carried_ her on _your back_. Because of her leg. You have to remember that." Her eyes were so wide. Now she looked afraid again, but of me.

I didn't like that.

"Mary, please." I put my hands in the air in front of me in case she thought to swing at me again. "I don't know who you're talking about."


	34. Chapter 34: Blood On My Hands

" _I don't want to read about dogs anymore…"_

 _-Me._

Chapter 34: Blood On My Hands

Complete silence. You could hear a croc in a swamp, it was so quiet. All of Hufflepuff was gathered in _The Cete Hall_ for the re-ranking ceremony. This is where we were first introduced to this secret club. This large dark mossy room underground in the tunnels under the castle. Everyone wore their special robes. The ones that had the Hufflepuff crest that we never showed anyone else. All the older students wore their badger masks except us first years and our guides. I stood at the head of the room with my classmates, trying to stop myself from scratching my ankle. We first years were asked not to wear shoes I just felt like now wasn't really an appropriate time to do something like that.

The mood was very serious.

Cedric stood just behind me, still a little banged up from…from…

" _Oh no! No! NononononononononNO! Mary! MARY! Stop! Get OFF! GET OFF OF ME!"_

He had a pretty good shiner. It was healing but his left eye was still red and purple all around. And his lips were still chapped but they were always like that.

We were waiting on professor Sprout like the last ranking ceremony but this time was different. When she finally emerged from the darkness of the rear room. In her arms was a small white rabbit. She gently pat its head while she turned to face us. That small bunny was so cute! There was something familiar about its eyes…

" _It hurts! IT HURTS!"_

" _Help! Someone help!"_

"The time is finally here!" Ms. Sprout called out. Her voice was so large. There was a loud stomp in unison from everyone in the room. I could see Hannah jump at the noise. "A sacrifice has been made. And now we officially welcome seven eligible Kings and Queens of the Cete." Another round stomps.

 _.clackclackclackClackClackClackCLACKCLICKCLACKCLACKCLACKCLACKCLACK-_

I shook my head. Focus Mary. This is important. I'm pretty sure this is important. Cedric's hand gave my shoulder a firm squeeze like he knew exactly what I was thinking. "It is because of such sacrifice," Ms. Sprout continued, "that those remaining can understand the importance, the gravity, of the responsibility they are meant to shoulder. And most importantly, what can happen to those that betray us." More stomping. I felt a little sick. Like I wanted to puke but I don't remember eating anything today. I didn't really eat much lately. Dean said I needed to take better care of myself, but Daphne said I'd been getting fat and that fasting would be good for me. I'd be offended if I was hungry.

Ms. Sprout pulled out her wand and firmly grasped the bunny by the ears. It dangled there, kicking its paws, familiar panic staring back at me. I didn't look away. Not even when she dragged her wand across its neck. "Metior vitae." The neck opened up like a zipper. The first dribbles of blood bubbled with pockets of air. I know that because I seen the older kids from school messing with a squirrel before. One of them has a Papa that works in the local butcher's shop. I heard him talking about what happens when you slice open the es…esssssss….asssso?...ass-a-fungus…while it's still alive.

More blood poured out into the fur, small tapping noises from splatter on the floor. I looked it in the eyes as life left it. It seemed fixed on me as well. This was the kind of thing I imagined witches do. The kind of thing that got us sent to hell.

" _I wanna go home! Iwannagohome Iwannagohome I wannago ho-ho-hic-hoooome! I don't want to be English anymore! I WANNA LEAVE!"_

I think everyone was terrified. Meagan…No one spoke a word. Professor came by to each one of us. She dipped two fingers into the bunny's throat and spread that blood on our foreheads, our cheeks, our hands, and our feet. I think we might of looked like slaughtered pigs.

"The crown is heavy, and one of you will wear it. Do not wash yourselves. You will sleep in this room and give this blood magic time to settle. The next time we come together, you will bring your two advisors. If you do not have any by now, do not expect to be ranked favorably."

A few more words were spoken before the room finally emptied and the six of us were left alone in the room. Stupid Zach, Ernest, Hannah, and Justin huddled together speaking amongst each other. I couldn't really hear what they were saying. Or I wasn't interested I don't know. That clicking noise was constantly echoing in my ears like a Walkman on with the volume real low. Susan was looking over her hands with a sort of disgusted look on her face. I lowered myself into the moss and curled into the fetal position. Ms. Sprout said to sleep so we should. And I hadn't been sleeping good lately and it made me super tired. Able to nod off anywhere anytime for a few minutes at a time. Have you ever been so tired that you sleep all the time and none of the time? I am.

My eyelids felt heavy and I let them drift closed.

"… _thank you."_


End file.
